


Bubble Baths

by Ramencat5



Series: Stray Littles <3 [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Age Dreaming, Age Regression, Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Bed-Wetting, Boys in Skirts, Caregiver Chan, Caregiver Han Jisung, Caregiver Yang Jeongin, Cute, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I really want to rewrite this, I'm running out of ideas bc I'm making it up as I go, Insecurity, Inspired by literally every agere kpop fic here, Little Felix, Little Minho, Nursing, Pacifiers, Panic Attacks, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Protect the littles, Sensory Overload, Teethers, Thumb-sucking, Toys, age dreamer han jisung, agere, anyone who isnt a little is a carer rly, bottles, dw this'll be really really soft too, i guess, little hyunjin, mentions of a past fire, pls give these boys all the love, pull-ups, sippy cups, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-01-18 18:30:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 56,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21281300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ramencat5/pseuds/Ramencat5
Summary: Minho should have been more careful when scrambling to get away from Chan, but it was Jisung's fault, really. His rug was what Minho had tripped over. Now he has to explain what he was doing with a pacifier and a colouring book.It was a good thing the other members were trustworthy. If it had been anyone else Minho would have changed his name and fled the country. Probably.But at the end of the day, it all works out in his favour. And he meets some more littles along the way.He might just thank Jisung for that dumb rug.(🍼Your safe space to go to for little!danceracha🍼)
Series: Stray Littles <3 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1534106
Comments: 206
Kudos: 528





	1. Found Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This is going to be my first multichaptered fic on ao3 :) Criticism is welcome (just don't be mean) as I am an amateur writer who's done lots of research! I've been world building this fic since early 2019 but made a lot of changes this year <3 If you don't like this sort of stuff, you don't have to read it.
> 
> Also, a distinction between age regression and age play for those who are wondering, since the ageplay tag makes me uncomfortable:
> 
> Age play refers to adults roleplaying as kids, sexual or non-sexual, which falls under dom/sub, a subsection of kink. It's used to explore sexual dynamics, and is a consensual act for adults (not minors!). Age play can be tagged as ddlb, ddlg, mdlb, mdlg (daddy/mommy dom little boy/girl) or just cgl (caregiver/little). While it may not be sexual, it is used to understand the dom/sub undertones and boundaries in a relationship, to reach a mutual understanding of what's okay and what isn't. So it is an act which requires consent from both parties and effective communication, is solely for adults, is not a form of stress relief, not a coping mechanism and not for those under age (aka minors).
> 
> Age regression (aka caregiver little regressor/*cglre*) is non sexual coping mechanism/stress relief from anxiety, ptsd, stress etc, by regressing or de-aging to a younger mentality, or 'headspace'. It can be involuntary or voluntary (usually voluntary unless the person has been through trauma and unintentionally regresses to cope). It is for minors (and adults who are not roleplaying), and one does not necessarily have to be in a relationship to have a caregiver/regressor bond. It is an activity which requires trust and gives comfort.
> 
> Happy reading everyone!

Minho grinned, grabbing the red crayon. He intently scribbled, the blue pacifier in his mouth bobbing as he sucked on it.

Today was one of the rare occasions that he had this room to himself, alone with his colouring book, crayons, pillows, and the stuffed pig that was always on Han's bed. He relaxed, assuming he'd remain undisturbed with the inhabitants of the room at the company.

The sound of footsteps approached the closed door and he reacted quickly, slipping the pacifier and crayon box into the book and flipping it closed, sliding it under the pillow in one smooth motion. He took his phone in his hand as the door opened.

"Oh hey, I didn't know you were in here." Chan came in and headed towards him.

"I thought you were leaving?" He pretended to scroll through his phone.

"Jisung said he left his lyric notebook somewhere on his bed," Chan explained, tugging at the end of a crumpled up blanket.

"Oh." Minho took his colouring book while Chan was distracted, standing up to leave. No way could he let anyone find out what he had been doing. "I hope you find it." He started walking.

Two seconds later he found himself on the floor. 

"Ow." He pushed himself up to see what he had tripped on. Folded over at his feet was the stupidest, ugliest looking rug in existence, according to Minho. Jisung had seen the green, neon orange, and dark purple swirls and had immediately decided to buy it because 'it would be hilarious to see the others' reactions'.

"I hate that dumb rug." He glanced up at Chan, then cursed under his breath when he found his stuff was sprawled out for the whole world to see.

"Is that a pacifier?" Chan raised an eyebrow.

Minho groaned, sitting up. "I'm fine, thank you for asking." He scooped up his things, avoiding Chan's gaze. "Oh sure, Minho has a pacifier, but don't ask about the crayons," he grumbled.

"You- do you use that pacif-?"

"I'm not answering that." He didn't let Chan finish his sentence.

Chan shrugged and went back to his task, managing to find Jisung's notebook under a pile of pillows. "I'll let you have your privacy, but you know you can tell me anything. Anyways," he said, getting cut off by a loud squeal.

They both turned around to find Seungmin in the doorway, eyes glued to the item in Minho's hand.

"Is that yours?" Seungmin had a glint in his eyes that left Minho with an unsettling feeling in his gut, not that he was remotely comfortable with his current predicament. His stunned silence was all Seungmin needed to know as he bounded off towards some other room, shouting "Minho has a pacifier!"

Minho knew everyone and their neighbour would hear it from Seungmin in the time it would take for him to run into his room, so instead he promptly buried his face into Han's bed as his cheeks heated up.

"Can the ground swallow me up?" He heard Chan laugh, then his head was patted.

"Hang in there Minho. I'll see you later, I have to get to the company."

Minho lifted his head once Chan's foorsteps had faded completely. He was still clutching his colouring book to his chest in one hand, the blue soother in the other.

Maybe he could back out now, pretend it was a gag gift or a childhood relic. He sighed, thinking of all the times he had repressed his wants to avoid being seen by others, recalling how difficult it was to work around everyone's schedules to find the perfect time to be alone.

Maybe it was time he told the others. He headed to his room and dumped his things into his closet, rolling his eyes when he turned around to see Seungmin behind him, smirking.

"Out, out of my room right now!" He lightly threatened to throw his phone while he ushered Seungmin out the door, before locking it shut. Again he sighed, glancing at his phone. He had a few hours before dinner. All he had to do was damage control until then, which meant refusing to interact with anyone until they were all seated at the table. 

"Why did I talk myself into doing this?"

Minho couldn't eat more than a few bites of food without catching Seungmin's mischievous grin or the others' watchful eyes, minus Jeongin and Felix whow ere engaged in some conversatiom Minho couldn't focus on at the moment.

"Oh that reminds me, I found four crayons under my bed earlier," Jeongin mentioned, seemingly oblivious to the expectant stares that had been directed at Minho all throughout the meal. "Did one of you lose any?"

Minho clicked his tongue, leaning back. "Those are mine." He stuffed his mouth full of chicken.

Jeongin nodded.

Felix eyed the others before speaking. "Why is everyone looking at Minho hyung like that?"

"Yeah, I wonder why. Is there something on my face?" Minho replied sarcastically.

"Or in your mouth?" Jisung teased.

"Okay, I definitely missed something." Felix put his chopsticks down, already done eating.

"So Seungmin-" Minho's hand flew to Jisung's mouth.

"Why don't I do the talking?" He plastered on a fake smile that quickly disappeared, poking at his food.

"So as most of you know," Minho chewed slowly, "_Someone_ found me with a pacifier earlier today. Big whoop." He shot a glare at Seungmin, who was snickering, before continuing. "I have an explanation, but it's long and probably confusing."

"We're listening," Chan said.

Minho swallowed his food and cleared his throat. "Have any of you heard of the term age regression?" He was glad there was nothing in his mouth, because he would have choked at the sight of Changbin nodding and Felix raising his finger.

"For those of you that don't know, it's when a person, how do I make this easy to understand, feels younger mentally? They revert to a younger headspace, so it's called, and start doing things of the age they're feeling. Some people go to their teenage years, others regress to being children, some even go to babyspace. Uh, the internet would probably explain this better than me." He laughed nervously as all eight pairs of eyes were on him.

"People do it for lots of reasons, to deal with trauma, stress, as a safe coping mechanism, or just because it's nice to be younger, with the weight of the world off your shoulders. I do it for stress relief. It can be voluntary or involuntary, though for me it's usually voluntary in the sense that though I can't control when I'm feeling younger, I can choose when to do it. So in a situation where I have to be a mature adult I wouldn't regress on purpose even if I felt like doing it."

"So what you're saying is you... age regress?" Hyunjin tilted his head. Minho nodded stiffly, sudden embarrassment coming over him.

"Those who age regress are called littles. I'm a little. Uh, hi. I'm out of the toybox." Minho raised an awkward hand and waved, pausing when he saw Felix's red face.

"What happens when you regress?" Chan questioned in between bites.

"Well, when I go little I'm usually five years old, so I do things that five year olds do. I feel like I'm five then, so I want to colour and watch cartoons and play with toys, stuff like that. I'm aware of the fact that I could do more mature things, but it makes more sense for me to do childish things instead. Like drinking water from a sippy cup instead of a normal glass, or sucking my thumb to calm down," Minho explained.

"Once I'm satisfied I can come out of headspace, although it's possible to force me to be big by pulling me out of headspace. For instance, if you tell me some seriously bad news, force me to do adult responsibilities or nag me about a busy schedule, I'll have to switch to my adult mindset, you could say it's my big space. That's not a happy feeling though, if I switch too fast I feel really bad. It happened once." He shoved some rice into his mouth while the others processed his words. 

"Little have caregivers, right?" Changbin pointed out, heads turning towards him. "Sometimes littles need to be taken care of or supervised by others called carers or caregivers. A little might have a main caregiver that they go to for help when they're feeling small."

Minho nodded. "Right. How do you know about that?"

"You learn things with internet access." He shrugged. "Have you ever wanted a caregiver?"

Minho hummed, thinking. "Not really. I mean, up until now I've been secretly regressing so I never thought I could have one, but it'd be nice to have some company when I'm playing. I don't need a caregiver though."

Jeongin spoke up. "Hyung, you know this is really cute right? Wait, you have a pacifier. Just imagine Lee Know hyung with a pacifier. I don't think my heart could take that- aw hyung, your cheeks are red."

Minho's eyes were focused on his nearly finished dinner. "I think everyone's been imagining it since Seungmin blabbed this afternoon." He reached into his pocket, pulling out the childish object and placing it on the table.

Most of everyone broke out in shouts or squeals, save for Felix, who was biting his lip.

"There goes my dignity," he mumbled, finishing his food as at least three different voices shouted 'cute' and 'baby' in the same sentence. A playful smile crept onto his lips.

"You can stop imagining me with this thing, I'll save you the brain work." He admired the plain blue pacifier shield for a second before placing it in his mouth.

"For goodness' sake hyung, do you want to kill me?" Hyunjin dramatically clutched at his chest and sank in his seat. Jisung watched in awe and fascination. Jeongin and Seungmin had their mouths open, surprised at the cute sight. Chan had a fond look on his face. Changbin cooed, making cute noises at Minho.

Then there was Felix. His ears were still beet red, a distant look in his eyes as he smiled.

Minho pulled the soother out of his mouth. "Anyways, I told you guys all this because you might find me regressed in the dorm every so often, and I'd rather have you know beforehand. Plus, I'm getting really tired of hiding it. If it makes anyone uncomfortable, you don't have to be around for it."

"I think we're all here to support you in this, right guys?" Chan affirmed, watching Jeongin nudge Felix while the others nodded.

"Felix hyung."

"Huh? Oh- oh no I'm not uncomfortable at all, it's just..." Felix trailed off, lowering his head. "I uh, I'm a little too, and Minho hyung's paci is making it a little hard not to be little right now."

Minho was the first to react, smiling widely. He threw away his empty takeout container before running up to Felix. "Are you serious?"

Felix could only nod with a shy smile.

"Felix, I hope you realize you've just made my day, scratch that, my year." He hugged Felix, whose smile widened at the action. The others finally recovered from their frozen state, talking over each other.

"Can we talk about this more? I want to see your stuff if you have any," Felix said.

"My little gear?"

"I call it little stuff."

They started laughing when they noticed no one else was talking, finding the sudden silence ridiculous.

"To be continued, but first we have to clear the table." Minho patted Felix's head, his blush disappearing.

"Hey Changbin, you'll do it won't you?" Seungmin winked and trotted off.

"Yah!" Changbin exclaimed as everyone else followed suit. "Seriously?"

"I'll help you." Chan laughed.

Felix and Minho shared a look, staying seated. Their secret was out, but everything was still normal.

"I hope you're preparing yourself, by the time the table's clear you'll have a lot of questions to answer, especially from me." Minho wiggled his eyebrows.

Felix grinned. "I think I can handle it, now that I have you. But please put your pacifier away." He motioned to the object still lying on the table. "Unless you want me to regress."

"Only if you want to right now."

"It's really easy for me to go to partial headspace, but hard for full headspace. So I kind of want to, but then I'd have to explain how partial headspace works and I don't know if I'm ready for the others to see me like that."

"Whenever you're ready, Lix." He grabbed Felix's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll explain everything together."


	2. Playthings and Happenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time to introduce the littles to the others!

A few days had passed and Minho was already starting to feel the urge to regress again. He smiled. He had the rest of the day off, so why not?

He rummaged through his closet before pulling out a colouring book and pair of shorts to replace his jeans.

"What's up hyung?" Hyunjin entered the room, collapsing onto Minho's bed.

"I'm..." It hit him that he would be openly regressing for the first time. A fluttery feeling manifested in his stomach. "Uh. I'm feeling kind of small and I have some free time."

"Ow!" They turned to see Seungmin in his bed, phone flat across his face.

"Oh, hey Seungmin, forgot you were in the top bunk," Minho said, tugging his jeans off.

"You're gonna regress?" Seungmin scrambled out of bed.

"Yeah." He pulled his shorts on and sat on his bed, nudging Hyunjin. "Move it."

"Don't you have a lesson at the company soon?" Seungmin asked, searching for his things to pack his bag.

"Yup. I should get ready for that. I'll leave with you." Hyunjin rolled over to make room for Minho.

"I'm back." Chan appeared in the doorway.

"Hyung's here." Minho smiled, speaking in a higher pitch than usual. He flipped to an unfinished page. "I need colours."

He looked up to see Hyunjin grinning like an idiot, Seungmin blinking while Chan watched the two of them, amused, and moved to put his bag away.

"Is someone feeling little today?" Minho flashed Chan a toothy grin and nodded. He reached into his closet again and grabbed his crayon box, squealing when he was picked up off the floor.

"Channie hyung!" He giggled as Chan spun him around before setting him down beside Hyunjin.

"Aww, he's too cute" Hyunjin pinched Minho's cheek.

"Hyunjin," Minho whined, stretching the last syllable, "I'm trying to colour."

Seungmin shuffled closer, kneeling in front of them. "Hi Min."

"Hi Seungminnie." He held up his crayons. "Help me pick a colour for my flower. Blue or yellow?"

Seungmin ruffled his hair. "Hm, yellow."

A loud shout came from the other room. "Jeongin, hurry up! I want to leave with the others." Jisung poked his head in the room. "Hey Seungmin, when are you leaving?"

"In like five minutes."

"What?" Hyunjin shot up, nearly knocking Minho over as he rushed to grab his things.

"Hyunjinnie's gonna be late," Minho sing-songed. Jisung caught on quickly.

"If it isn't our resident baby."

"I thought I was the baby." Jeongin showed up beside him, making puppy dog eyes. "I'm ready to go."

"Minho's regressed, so he's our new baby." Jisung laughed as Minho stuck his tongue out. "We're waiting for Hyunjin." Hyunjin dashed past him, Seungmin calmly walking to the door.

"Innie look at my flower!"

Jeongin turned to see Minho running up to him, holding up the book.

"Why, that's a pretty flower for a pretty boy." He put a finger on Minho's nose, making him laugh. Jeongin laughed as well, finding him adorable. "This is pretty fun."

Minho trotted back to his crayons.

"Bye guys, we're off." Seungmin waved to Chan and Minho once Hyunjin was finally ready.

"Bye bye Minnie." Minho waved. Jisung and Jeongin's 'aww's could be heard as they left.

"Channie hyung?"

"Yes pumpkin?"

Minho smiled widely. Chan remembered that Minho and Felix loved nicknames in headspace, although they never specified which ones. "Where's Felix?"

"He's in his room with Changbin, I think he's asleep."

"Oh."

Chan patted his head. "I'm going to shower, okay? You can go find the others if you need anything in the meantime."

"Okie."

It was peaceful in the dorm with half the members gone, leaving Minho free to do whatever he liked in his room. He kept colouring for a while, before getting bored and putting his things away. He grabbed one of his jigsaw puzzles and busied himself with solving it.

When he was about a third done he noticed it was oddly quiet. He decided to find Changbin, wanting some company.

" Changbinnie," he called out, heading to the other room.

"Felix, just tell me what's wrong."

Minho peeked into the room, where Felix was sitting up in his bed, clutching his blanket. He was biting his lip with tears in his eyes, refusing to answer Changbin.

"Felix?" They turned to Minho, noticing his presence and tone of voice.

Felix curled into himself, backing against the wall. He hoped they would leave him alone. He didn't want them to find out what had happened.

His own distress and current state was enough of a trigger to send him into headspace, but he didn't want to regress in front of Changbin because that would mean him finding out what he was so embarrassed and upset over. Which would make him feel bad. And make him want to regress again.

While Felix contemplated his options Minho took a few hesitant steps towards Changbin's bed. "He just woke up and froze, now he won't tell us what's wrong or let us go near him." The older explained simply.

Minho pouted, going towards Felix. "Nightmare?"

Felix shook his head, holding his blanket close. "Go 'way please."

Chan walked in right then, a confused expression on his face. "What's going on?"

"Lixie feels bad but we dunno why." Minho replied, standing in the middle of the room.

"Can Chan hyung stay?" Felix implored.

Chan sighed, shrugging at the others.

"Come on Min, let's give Chan and Felix some alone time." Changbin stood up.

Minho nodded, tugging his hand and pulling him to the door. "I wanna show you my toys."

Chan stood about a foot away from Felix's bed. "Felix," he began, but he didn't need to finish his sentence, because Felix pushed his blanket away to reveal the big wet patch he was sitting in.

"I- I didn't-" He stammered, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I'm sorry hyung."

Chan spoke softly. "Oh sweetie, you didn't mean to. It's not your fault."

Felix slid out of bed. Chan stepped beside him to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Let me take care of this. You can go take a shower."

He nodded, grabbing a few clothes before making a beeline for the bathroom, thankful that no one saw him. Without pausing to process his emotions he showered and dressed himself as fast as he could. Still, he slipped partially into headspace once he was out of the bathroom. He found everyone together, Minho showing them his jigsaw puzzles and colouring books, then returning them to his closet.

"An' these are my cars and tower blocks!" Minho exclaimed, showing Chan a small bucket full of cars and lego duplo blocks. He bounced in excitement as he carefully took out the toys, placing them in two piles.

"That's a lot of cars! How many do you have?"

"I forgot hyung, lemme see." He counted aloud, pointing to each car. "Eleven!" He said proudly.

"Do you have a favourite?" Changbin asked, smiling as Minho's eyes lit up.

"This one, 'cause the doors open. See?" He picked up the silver car, demonstrating how each door could be opened and closed. "I'm gonna make a tower." Minho pushed his other toys away, neatly arranging the cars into a line before stacking the legos.

Changbin’s gaze fell on Felix. "Come in."

He came out from behind the door. His eyes met Chan's and he rubbed his arm, letting out a small "Sowwy hyung."

Changbin raised an eyebrow. "Are you feeling little too?"

"Kind of..." Felix trailed off, his eyes on the floor.

He motioned for Felix to join them, the little clambering onto the bed.

"Is Lix still sad?" Minho looked up from the tower he was making and pulled Felix into a hug. "I'm gonna cheer Lix up, wait." He searched for something in his closet.

Felix stayed quiet, eyes glued to Minho's cars.

Changbin squeezed his shoulder. "Do you want to talk?"

Felix shook his head. "Wanna be little, but can't." He frowned.

"Can I talk you down?"

Felix had a small smile as he nodded. Changbin ran a hand through his hair. "No one's mad at you for having an accident, sunshine. We can talk later. Right now you can play cars with Min. That'll be fun, right?"

Felix relaxed. "Yeah! Min hyung's busy though." He turned around, swinging his feet off the edge of the bed while watching Minho.

Chan wrapped an arm around him. "Minho, what are you looking for cupcake?"

"Found it!" Minho climbed back into bed, taking his spot in the middle with a box in his hands. "This will make Felix happy."

"What?" Felix eyed the box curiously.

"Guess. What stuff do I have?"

Changbin turned to Chan, who shrugged.

"Lotsa stuff, Min hyung. I know you have your blankie, colouring books, headband, onesies, cars and blocks, puzzles, sippy, and your baby things."

"Baby things?" Chan questioned.

"I have a bottle an' some pull ups." Minho told him. "None of those are in here."

He opened it to reveal a collection of pacifiers.

"Pacis!" Felix squealed, letting go of Chan.

"They look so pretty, so when I see them I get happy." Minho smiled.

"So pwetty." Felix stared at the set in awe.

"Wow Min, they're really cute." Chan looked into the box. The others agreed.

Minho pointed to the baby blue pacifier first. "This one I use a lot, it's just blue, you saw it before."

He picked up a sparkly pink pacifier, and a lighter one outlined with pink rhinestones of a darker shade. "These I got together, they make me feel nice 'specially when I'm in a onesie." He handed them to Felix, placing the box on the bed.

"Here's my favourite one." He held up a peach coloured pacifier that had small white rose charms decorating the front.

Felix gasped. "Ooooh that's a cool one." Changbin and Chan took the pink pacifiers from Felix to take a closer look.

"You can hold it if you wanna."

Felix carefully took it from him, treating it as if it were fragile. "You have so many pacis, I only have my gween toddlew one."

Minho hid the last pacifier behind his back. "Mhm, now close your eyes."

"Huh? Okay." Felix covered his eyes, hearing Minho's soft giggles.

"Now open them. Ta-da!"

He saw a black pacifier with small white painted stars covering the shield.

"Whoa," Felix breathed as Minho extended his hand. "Starry."

"I know you don' have any big pacis like I do because you showed me your paci yesterday. So here you go."

Felix leaned back onto Changbin, surprised. "Fo' me?"

"That's very generous of you, Minho." Chan pinched his cheek.

"I wan' him to have it." He placed it in Felix's hand.

"But youw cow'ection?" Felix couldn't take his eyes off the tiny stars.

"It's okay, I have lots. I never used that one anyways. You need a big paci, and it's perfect for you."

"How so?" Changbin grabbed Minho in a backhug.

"It's 'cause he has pretty freckles all over his face," Minho giggled, emphasizing the 'all'.

Everyone collectively swooned, making Felix bury his face in Chan's side. Minho beamed.

"Thank you Min hyung," Felix mumbled shyly. "I weally like it."

"Yay!" Minho cheered, shoving the box aside. "Wanna play cars? Or we could do puzzles, I was makin' a puzzle before..."

Felix and Minho settled on playing cars for a while, with Changbin returning to his room. Chan settled in Hyunjin's bed with his laptop to work for a bit, glancing at the littles from time to time while they were engrossed in their game of crashing into block towers and building new ones.

A while later Chan felt a tug on his shirt. He looked up.

"Channie hyung, Min hyung wants to see my little stuff again. Wanna come?"

"Sure, haengbokie." He saved the track he was working on and let Felix lead him to his room, not missing his wide smile. Minho was already sitting cross-legged on Felix's bed. Chan took a seat next to him, hearing the faint crinkling sound of the plastic matress protector underneath the sheets.

He had seen it when taking care of the wet sheets for Felix, recalling how the boy had once put it on after a dust mite outbreak in the dorms a floor beneath them. The members all forgot it was still there, because the sound was easy to miss unless you actively listened for it.

"I dun' have lots like Min hyung." Felix dumped a few things on his bed, moving aside for the others to see.

Chan frowned. "Don't you want more toys?" Beside him were a few children's storybooks, a small empty squeeze bottle, a brown stuffed rabbit and a pacifier made for toddlers.

Felix shook his head. "I dun' need more. I have Min."

"Minho?"

Felix giggled, picking up his bunny. "No, Min! Cinnamon! She's my bun bun. We have loads of fun." He lifted its arm, making it wave.

"Hi Cin-min!" Minho waved back.

"Aw." Changbin had a hand on his chest.

"Min has a boo-boo, but I still luv hew the same." Felix lifted one of the ears, showing a black singed edge on the brown fur.

"Can I hold her? Min's so soft!" Minho eagerly reached for the toy, hugging it close.

Changbin came closer. "What's the squeeze bottle for, sunshine?"

Felix held it up. "Bath time. You push it an' watew comes out an, an' it's weally fun."

"Ah, I see. I have a friend for Cinnamon." Changbin lifted his munchlax plushie onto Felix's bed and joined them.

"Gyu!" Minho squealed.

"Hi Cinnamon, it's nice to meet you." Changbin spoke in a babyish voice, moving his toy around. Chan laughed.

They played with the stuffed toys for a while, Changbin voicing Gyu while Felix voiced Cinnamon. Minho took to making a house for the stuffies with his legos.

"We brought snacks," Seungmin's voice echoed as he and Han entered the dorm.

Chan left the room to greet them. "You were gone for like, three hours now. Back so soon?"

The three of them returned, Minho perking up. "Snack time!" He started jumping around the room.

Felix on the other hand gave them a timid wave, hiding behind his bunny.

"Is he little too?" Seungmin handed Chan the snacks while Jisung went to squish Felix's cheeks.

"Yeah, he had an accident and regressed."

"Hyung," Felix whined, hiding behind Chan. He could feel his cheeks heating up. There were too many people looking at him.

"Tag, you're it." Minho tapped Felix's head before running off. Felix blinked once, then went chasing after him.


	3. Butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick update? Hehe I couldn't help myself.

"I thought it would be kind of weird."

Seungmin ripped open a pack of chips, tossing it to Chan before grabbing another for himself. Currently they were sitting in Changbin's bed, said member moving Felix's books aside so Jisung could sit beside him.

Seungmin continued. "I mean, they're both older than me, but right now I can see that they're literal children. It's like I can tell they're in a different headspace."

Chan reached for a bag of gummies. "I know what you mean."

"You said Felix had an accident?" Seungmin asked.

Jisung took Felix's stuffed rabbit in his hands, inspecting it. He frowned at the singed ear.

"Oh, yeah." Chan popped a gummy bear into his mouth. "He woke up wet and wouldn't let anyone find out or go near him."

"Except for you." Changbin pointed a chip at him.

Chan shrugged.

Minho ran into the room, pausing in front of Jisung. "Hannie, Lix wants his bunny." Han handed it over. "Thank you." He grinned, leaving just as quickly.

"Should we go check on them?" Changbin suggested.

"I'll go." Jisung went in search of the littles, finding them on Minho's bed. "Hello my little kiddos, what are you doing all alone here? Channie hyung's going to finish the gummy bears."

"Lixie tagged me and we were running and we remembered he forgot his paci on my bed. He really likes it and it makes me so so happy." Minho was hugging Felix from the back with one arm. "And now we're here."

Felix had the star-covered pacifier in his mouth, one hand holding his bunny and the other holding Minho's hand. He sucked on it quietly, looking down.

"Lix, Jisungie's here." Minho said, shaking him slightly. "He's shy."

"It's okay." Jisung patted Felix's head.

"Ji hyun', snacks?" Felix spoke around his pacifier, raising his arms. Jisung chuckled and lifted him up.

"Alright bub, we're going."

"Wait for me!" Minho stuck to Jisung's side as they went back to the others.

Han placed Felix on his bed. Minho went for some gummy worms, handing a few to Felix before digging in himself. Felix took out his pacifier, placing it with his green one. Crowded onto two beds, the six of them ate for some time until they were left with empty wrappers, packets, and a big unopened bag of chips for Hyunjin and Jeongin.

Then Felix stretched out, grabbing his things. "This felt good." He put his books away, and found an empty jar for his pacifiers to go in.

"I think I'm good too." Minho grinned, stealing a handful of chips from Jisung. "I'm going to clear my bed, I still have toys all over it."

"I'll help," Felix offered.

They filled Minho's red plastic bucket with the cars and legos, stashing it away with most of his puzzles, save for the unfinished one. They wordlessly began to complete it, with five pieces left when the dorm's front door opened again, signalling Hyunjin and Jeongin's arrival.

Chan went into the room, putting his laptop beside his bed in its usual place. "We're having dinner in ten." He turned to Felix and Minho.

"Okay hyung." They responded unanimously.

"We're going to talk too." He left.

Felix picked up a puzzle piece. "Great," he muttered, sliding it into its place.

Minho raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed. "Any advice on not dying of embarrassment?"

"Embrace it." Minho placed the last piece and shut the box, sliding it into his closet. "You're a little and they aren't. Questions are imminent."

"Actually, it wouldn't be so bad if... I mean, you didn't talk about... it, or mention it even in headspace. I- thanks. You tried distracting me too when Chan hyung said it out loud."

"You mean-"

"Don't say it." Felix rubbed his neck. "I'll talk about it with the others, whatever. Just, you're the only person who didn't make me feel embarrassed about it."

"I didn't want you to think about it then." Minho poked his side. "It's not that big of a deal either. Now come on, I'm starving."

"We just had snacks!" Felix shook his head, smiling. He soon found himself seated with the other members.

"I can't believe I missed little Felix," was the first thing Jeongin said.

"Ugh, I know." Hyunjin took a sip of water. "How old were you?"

Felix spoke calmly. "Four, I usually feel that young."

"And Minho hyung?"

"Five, I guess. Something like that." Minho chewed on a leaf wrap.

"I've never been regressed for that long before," Felix admitted. "I used to do it for ten to fifteen minutes at a time most nights, right before I fell asleep. It was easier to hide that way. Today was pretty nice, I was in headspace for... how long?"

Chan hummed. "I'd say a little over two hours, Minho was regressed for about an hour and a half or so before you went to shower."

"How often do you guys feel the need to regress?"

"Why Jeongin, do you really want to hang out with two kids that badly?" Minho raised an eyebrow, smirking. "For the record, I think it's about every ten days or two weeks for me. What about you, Felix?"

"I'm not sure," Felix answered. "I've never been in full headspace like this. I think I'll be fine for a week? Maybe less."

Jeongin nodded. "If we know how often you need to de-stress we can work out our schedules, that way you won't regress on busy days or right before an important meeting."

"That's a great idea, Innie." Seungmin passed him the plate of meat.

They finished the rest of dinner first, deciding to continue the conversation later. Han was the first to speak, sitting on the floor beside Hyunjin.

"I noticed something, Lee Know hyung doesn't use honorifics with those younger than him when he's little, but Felix does. Why is that?"

Minho replied, "I'm more comfortable with referring to everyone the way I usually do." He was sitting on one end of the couch, with Felix, Chan and Changbin on his left in that order.

"I think of everyone as older than me when I'm feeling small, sort of like I want them to take care of me." Felix smiled. So far so good.

"Were you feeling little earlier, Felix? Or just after you woke up, when...?"

Felix tried to act normal in spite of the butterflies in his stomach. "After I woke up."

"O-oh, okay." Changbin seemed surprised.

"What?"

"Nothing." He didn't elaborate.

Felix wondered if they had already told Hyunjin and Jeongin what had happened. Probably, because they weren't asking what Changbin was referring to. Chan encouraged communication and it was extremely hard to keep a secret in a dorm full of eight boys, apart from the fact that there were two regressors in the group, and the other thing Felix was trying not to mention. The thought made his stomach knot itself.

A realization dawned upon him.

"Wait, did you think I was in headspace?" Felix groaned at the implication. The hyungs must have assumed that was the only logical explanation. "No, no I wasn't regressed when I went to take a nap. That... no. It just... happened."

He sighed. Maybe he should get it over with. But he took one look at everyone else and found himself unable to say why he was really that embarrassed over waking up to a wet bed. Even though he knew exactly what to tell them he couldn't make the words leave his mouth. Instead he turned to Minho.

"Hyung, are you serious about giving me that pacifier?"

"As serious as I am about dancing, Felix."

"What pacifier?" Jeongin was hugging Hyunjin, Seungmin on his phone beside them on the floor.

"It's," Felix abruptly laughed, clinging onto Minho's side. "If I talk about it I might slip enough to do the voice."

"Do the voice, do the voice," Minho chanted, Jeongin joining in.

"It's a weally cute one," Felix giggled.

"I think he sounds cuter than Minho hyung," Hyunjin remarked after a silent pause.

"Yah, I'm adorable!" Minho used his own little voice, pretending to kick the remote out of Hyunjin's hand.

Felix smiled into Minho's shoulder. "I’s a black paci with stars all over it. Minho hyung said it's like my fweckles."

Jeongin squealed.

"Innie, be quiet. The drama's about to start," Hyunjin told him, his and Han's eyes glued to the screen.

Chan looked over at Felix and Minho. "I hope you two had fun today," he whispered.

"Are you kidding? It was amazing, I got to colour and play cars with other people around for once. I really liked the company, and having Felix around as a playmate is great too."

"I wasn't going to regress, but I had lots of fun too." A small smile played on Felix's lips.

"That's good to hear. We want you guys to be comfortable," Changbin added, being loudly shushed by the members on the floor.

Minho thought for a moment. "In that case, I have a nickname request."

"Dude, give it back! Turn the sound back on at least." Hyunjin was reaching for the remote that was now in Jeongin’s hands.

"Go on hyung, we're listening." He grinned as Seungmin held Hyunjin back.

"Yeah, this I've got to hear." Jisung spun around, eyes on Minho.

Save for Felix, who was still pressed against his side, yawning, Minho had all eyes on him. "I'd really like being called angel. I mean," he was interrupted by a couple of squeals, and Changbin leaned over to squish his cheek.

"I mean, I like the other names too. Channie hyung called me pumpkin and cupcake, and it felt nice, but angel would really do it for me." He melted as Chan ruffled his hair.

"That's precious, hyung." Jeongin said with a fond smile.

"I think you broke Seungmin." Jisung stated, watching the second youngest in amusement.

He had his mouth open in a half smile, eyes locked on Minho. "With the way Lee Know hyung is on a normal day, you wouldn't expect him to be that soft."

"Tsundere." Felix sent the entire room into a fit of laughter.

"Do you have any preferred nicknames, Lix?" Hyunjin patted Felix's leg, the show playing on tv forgotten.

"I like all of them. Food-related nicknames are fun."

"Like pumpkin?" Chan noted.

"Try sugar, honey, cupcake, things like that. You called me sweetie, but that was before I went small." He shut his eyes, flustered. "Haengbokie too, that made me really happy. Changbin talked me down with sunshine and I felt all warm inside." He didn't need to look to know Changbin was smiling like a fool.

"What about when I carried you and said you were a bub?"

"Hannie hyung carried you?" Jeongin exclaimed. "I miss the best things."

"Um, yeah. That was..." he paused, trying to find the right words. "I felt really small and safe when you said bub."

Jisung exhaled. "That's exactly what I was going for."

"What about baby, can we call you that?" Felix nodded in response to Seungmin.

"Baby makes me think of lovers." Minho declared. "But it's okay too."

"Baby Lix." Chan poked Felix's side, making him laugh. "Are you ticklish?" He had a mischievous grin.

"Yeah." Felix started laughing as Chan attacked his sides.

"We have a little giggly baby here, a bab. A beeb." Felix gasped for air, wrapping around Minho's arm when Chan stopped moving his fingers. The others were watching them, Changbin with his phone out.

"All of those make me feel fuzzy and tiny, but there's one very special name that does that." He actually had two absolute favourite nicknames, but he would never admit the last one out loud. Not yet. He yawned again.

"Oh? What's that? What's your version of angel?" Minho shifted so that Felix could lie on him.

"Love."

It was silent. Felix fiddled with the edge of his shirt, then lifted his head to glance at everyone. They all had giddy smiles on their faces. Minho pressed a kiss on the top of Felix's head. "You win, you broke them all with your winsome self."

"Guys..." Felix hid his red cheeks in Minho's chest.

"Good, everyone's frozen. I'm not the only one who wants to squeeze the life out of Felix," Hyunjin piped up first.

"Excuse me, Hyunjin hyung, but I'd rather hold him in my arms forever and never let go," Jeongin objected.

That seemed to snap everyone out of their happy trance. "Oh gosh I think I've died and gone to cuteness heaven," Chan gushed, gently pulling Felix off of Minho. "You should go to bed Lix, you're about to fall asleep."

"Right." He pushed himself up, heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth. The others were rambling about how soon they could see Minho regress again and he grinned. He couldn't wait until then.


	4. Smiles

"Chan hyung."

Felix wrapped his arms around the leader, peering over his shoulder. "Whatcha doin?"

Chan took his headphones off, pressing a few keys on his laptop before replying. "I'm working on a new track." He turned his head.

Felix grinned widely. "Can I see?"

That was how Hyunjin found them on the couch a while later, Chan laughing while Felix pretended to bite his shoulder. "Nom nom nom, I'm a shark!"

"Oh no, not a shark!" Chan exclaimed.

"You're a tiny fish, and I'm gonna eat you!"

Hyunjin leaned over the edge of the armrest to announce his presence. "I'm bored."

"Nyom." Felix moved in his direction. Hyunjin copied him.

"Are you feeling little?" Chan didn't want to assume anything, but it had been a couple of days since he had last regressed.

"Sorta." Felix shrugged.

"Do you want to be little?" Hyunjin asked. He had been doing his research (and bothering Minho at that) to figure out how headspace worked, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued and excited to see either of the regressors of the group in headspace for a while.

Felix tilted his head, then shrugged again.

"You know it's okay, right? It's been a while and you feel the need to regress more often." Chan said.

Felix nodded. "I know. It's just hard to... slip completely." Chan and Hyunjin seemed to understand.

"It's up to you, haengbokie." Chan put a hand on his shoulder.

Felix smiled after a few moments. "Jinnie hyung," he spoke quietly, testing out how it sounded. He chuckled. "Jin-jin hyung."

"I think I'm whipped already." Hyunjin tackled Felix on the couch - carefully of course, he did not want to accidentally push Chan's laptop onto the floor. The younger squealed, falling into a comfortable headspace.

"You're all mine you little cutie. Let's go find Jeongin, shall we? I'm sure he would be very excited to see you."

"But Chan hyungie..." Felix looked at Chan, who ruffled his hair.

"Go play with Hyunjinnie, it's okay. I'll be right here if you need me."

Felix took one last glance at Chan before smiling up at Hyunjin. "Jeonginnie hyung!" He shouted as Hyunjin led him to the maknae's room.

Jeongin was excited, pinching Felix's cheeks and wrapping his arms around him as soon as he realized what was going on.

"Hello love." He planted a kiss on the top of Felix's head.

Felix touched his nose, making him smile instantly. "Boop."

"Aw, that was cute." Jeongin nuzzled Felix's cheek with his nose, making them both giggle.

"Jeonginnie hyung has a pwetty smile." He proceeded to poke Jeongin's face in different places. "Look Jin-jin hyung! M' making him smile!" The youngest couldn't resist grinning each time, Felix had an irresistable charm.

"What about me, Lix? Don't I have a pretty smile?" Hyunjin gave him an exaggerated pout. A small part of him wanted to whine, although he couldn't figure out why. He brushed the thought aside.

"Silly hyung. You do, but you jus' have a pwettier laugh." Felix shook his head with a look, as if to say it was an obvious fact.

Hyunjin pumped his fist in the air while Jeongin yelled in mock defeat.

Jeongin let go of Felix after he whispered something in his ear, and he scampered off to another room for a minute. Before Hyunjin could ask, he already had his answer as Felix walked in with a handful of toy cars. They were placed onto the bed one by one until Felix had all four cars in a neat line.

"You want to play cars? Okay sunshine." Jeongin moved aside so Felix could sit beside him opposite to Hyunjin. The little pushed one car aimlessly.

Hyunjin joined in, 'driving' his car into Felix's until they were engaged in some sort of fight. "Flying car attack!" Hyunjin lifted his car up and made it touch Felix's head before landing on Felix's car, making him laugh. Then Felix leaned over to roll his car up Jeongin's arm.

Minho peered into the doorway. "Be careful with my cars," he reminded. As childish as it seemed, he had grown attached to each toy in his collection. He was happy to share his things, but he wanted to make sure none of them would get broken.

"We'll make sure Felix doesn't break any." Jeongin replied.

"I was talking about you," Minho clarified, "You always drop things. You could drop one of those hard onto the floor and pop goes the wheel."

"I'm not that bad!" Jeongin defended himself.

As Minho listed the times Jeongin had been clumsy, Felix turned back to Hyunjin to race cars.

Hyunjin smiled, zoning out at the simple game. "Vroom," he mumbled.

Felix's stomach growled. Hyunjin glanced at him, poking his stomach. "You want a snack?"

Felix stood up with a nod. "Give these to Min hyung, please an' thank you." He slipped past Minho, who was probably moving to collect the toys.

"Channie hyungie, I'm hungwy." Felix went up to Chan with a slight pout.

Chan recalled having a box full of snacks somewhere in his room, one of the many packages sent over from his family Australia. "Come on, sunshine, lets get you some goldfish crackers for your shark-sized tummy."

"Fishies!" Felix happily skipped behind him.

He spent the rest of the day watching cartoons sitting between Hyunjin and Jeongin, moving to his room once he was out of headspace. He did send Chan a quick text, hoping he would see it before the others returned from the company. Luck seemed to be on his side that night.

"Hey Lix, what's up?"

Chan heard Felix mumble something. "What?"

The younger sighed. "Talking about regression things is hard outside of headspace, I get so embarrassed I can't even open my mouth," he explained. "I was wondering if... well I mean you don't have to." He could have kicked himself for taking so long to ask a single simple question.

"Felix, just say it. You're only making yourself more flustered. Trust me, it was a ride trying to get Minho to explain why he has a baby bottle and pull-ups when he doesn't regress that young."

"Wait, what? He seemed so shameless about all of that though." Felix remembered how Minho had been nonchalant about the mentioned items.

"Please, he looked like a tomato and sounded like a broken record earlier. All he had to say was he had them just in case he felt younger, but no, embarrassment got his tongue. Now talk to me."

"Can you tuck me in? I mean, I'm calling it an early night because I want you to tuck me in for bed." Felix waited for Chan's response, a whole minute passing in silence.

"I'm just messing with you." Chan snickered. "Of course I'll tuck you in. Are you going to sleep right now? Brushed your teeth, got your stuffed bunny?"

Felix nodded, shyly presenting his brown rabbit before curling up with it. Chan pulled his blanket up and tucked him in, kissing his forehead. Before, they probably would have cringed at the intimacy, but now it was endearing and comforting for both of them.

"Why did you want to do this before Changbin came?" Chan questioned.

"I'm not fully comfortable with showing everyone all my little habits or wants. Maybe once I get used to being around others in headspace? I keep getting embarrassed about stuff, I know I shouldn't be, because everyone's so supportive. But it's not easy. Don't get me wrong, I love being openly little. I guess I just need some time."

"Okay bub, take all the time you need. We understand." Chan kissed his forehead again, brushing some hair out of his eyes. He patted the bunny's head too. "Night love, goodnight Cinnamon, sweet dreams."

He turned the light off, but flicked it back on after hearing Felix make a small noise. Chan opened the door a crack, letting in some of the light from the hall before pressing the light switch. This time the room was dimly lit instead of pitch black. He heard a relieved sigh. Satisfied, he made sure to leave the door ajar while leaving, making a mental note of Felix's fear of the dark.

About a week later it was Minho's turn to feel like slipping, having spaced out after vocal lessons. Upon reaching the dorm he flung his shoes off, washed his face, changed into more comfortable clothes - a baggy shirt and sweatpants, and plopped down in Han's bed. He had brought his comfort items with him, placing a pacifier in his mouth as he put his blanket in a heap to one side. With Jisung's stuffed pig in one arm and his free hand holding his phone up, he lay down on his stomach.

"Why are you always in my bed?"

Minho didn't look away from the cartoon he was watching, knowing exactly whose voice it was. He barely noticed Jisung enter the room.

"Thewe's five pillows an' a stuffed pig." His words slurred as he spoke around the pacifier. "It's comfy."

"You know what else is comfy?"

Jisung pulled Minho into a sitting position and grabbed his baby blanket, wrapping it around him. The yellow and pink fabric was soft against Minho's skin. He sighed, relaxing. Realizing his arms were trapped under the blanket he tried to squirm around to free one arm. Jisung shook his head, holding a finger up.

"Nuh-uh angel, today you're a sushi roll. I'll hold your phone up." He smiled fondly as Minho's eyes lit up.

"You look li'e a sushi w'oll Hannie," he said.

Jisung took a second to glance at his own striped shirt. "I guess we're sushi buds now. I'm a sushi roll, you're a sushi roll."

"An' this piggie's in my w'oll."

"You named my stuffed pig Piggie?"

Minho shifted enough to push the stuffed animal's head out of the blanket. "I don't know what to name him."

"I see. We'll find this pig a name someday." Han pulled Minho into his arms and pressed play.

It was quiet with just the two of them in the dorm. A loud slam startled them, making Minho wince when he couldn't cover his ears. The sound of keys jingling could be heard, indicating that someone had just entered the dorm, and the slam had presumably come from the front door.

Jeongin nearly stormed into the room but skidded to a halt when he laid eyes on the two members in his room.

"I- oh. I'm not the first one here."

Jisung began to worry when the maknae's eyes watered. "Jeongin-"

"I'm tired, hyung. I'm extremely tired and stressed and I wanted to sit down and have a good cry because everyone else will be back soon and I don't want them to hear me," he rambled. "I don't want to cry in front of anyone right now, especially because Minho hyung is regressed-" he choked on a sob. "I'm sorry."

He leaned against the wall and tilted his head forward, hair falling over his face.

Minho tugged off his blanket, placing his pacifier aside. "Hannie, watch our pig." He shuffled over to Jeongin. "Innie should be the sushi roll now, he's got the sads."

"You're absolutely right, angel," Han agreed.

Jeongin rubbed his eyes, letting the others drape the baby blanket over him and sit him down. Minho hugged him close, reaching for his pacifier. Jeongin continued to cry, but Minho's quiet sucking and arms around him helped him calm down.

Jisung brought Jeongin a cup of instant noodles. He silently took the cup, not trusting his voice. Instead he rolled his eyes and leaned against Jisung's side, picking one of his favourite childhood shows to watch. Jisung didn't need a verbal thanks to know the younger was grateful for everything.

"Don't you think you've held Jeongin captive long enough?" Jisung noticed that Minho was still hugging the maknae.

"It's fine hyung, I needed this. Thank you angel, Innie's sorry he ruined your evening with Hannie hyung."

Minho shook his head vehemently. "You we'w sad." He tightened his grip. "Wanna hol' the piggie?"

Jeongin chuckled, taking the stuffie from Minho. "Thank you angel baby. You're so sweet."

Minho beamed.


	5. Dinos and Duckies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> skadsksa so high school (well, A levels) is taking up a lot of my time, plus I'm currently sick so this is getting posted super late T^T thank you for 1k hits! It means a lot <3
> 
> y'all saw the Dallas vlive where Chan pulled a yelling Jisung onto the couch and pretended to give him a bottle? A+ content for all you little!Jisung writers heh 
> 
> (watch from 13:46 if you want to skip forward) https://www.vlive.tv/video/173493
> 
> also morning of Feb 19th I dreamed of little Felix for like 10 secs mY HEART ISN'T DONE SQUEALING YET - aweee he looked so adorable
> 
> anyways enjoy this chapter :) here are some pics of Minho I used for the headband reference:  
https://mobile.twitter.com/leeminhoarchive/status/1079510555642265605

It was beginning to get dark out when Jisung left for the dorm, leaving Chan and Changbin alone in their recording studio to continue composing. Chan wanted Changbin to stay back and listen to a few potentially useful tracks.

The lights in the room flickered for a second. "Ah, they're still doing electrical repairs in this wing of the building," Chan told Changbin, clicking out of his programs and saving his work. "We're done for the day, you want to find Felix now?" They had planned on going shopping with the freckled Aussie to buy some children's toys.

"Yeah." Changbin replied, grabbing his bag.

All of a sudden it went pitch black in the studio.

Chan let out an exaggerated sigh. He was already holding his bag, so he slid his laptop in easily despite not being able to see. His fingers brushed against what felt like Changbin's arm, causing the younger to shout. When the lights turned back on he found Changbin curled up on the floor, releasing a quiet breath he had been holding.

"Binnie, you okay?"

Changbin smiled sheepishly as he got up, fiddling with the strap of his bag. "Yeah."

"You know, you just reminded me of Felix." Chan spoke with fondness rather than a teasing edge. "You're both scared of the dark."

"I am not!" Changbin objected.

The door opened. "I heard my name." Felix peeked inside before entering. Changbin raised an eyebrow at him. "I was on my way here to check up on you guys but the lights went out, and I ended up sitting outside for the last minute or so. I basically froze." He laughed, shifting his weight and glancing around, not quite making eye contact with the others.

The lights flickered again and this time Changbin's whine was clearly audible. "Fine, I admit it. I'm barely scared of the dark," he huffed. "Can we leave now?"

Felix patted his shoulder. They waited for Chan to lock up before heading outside, a crisp breeze cooling them off after a long day of hard work.

"Felix, why don't you pick something out?" Chan whispered in the quiet store. Felix nodded, tugging Changbin along. He carefully inspected the variety of toys in the aisle, letting out a soft gasp.

"Can I get these?" In his hands was a set of four small rubber ducks.

"Of course, haengbokie." Chan could see him smile from the way his eyes crinkled up behind his mask.

"Changbin hyung, look." He pointed to two plastic ships. "You think Lee Know hyung would like one of these?"

"I think so."

Felix picked out a few board games as well, eyeing one particular shelf as they paid for the items.

"What are you looking at?" Changbin put his chin on Felix's shoulder, trying to look in the same direction.

"There's blocks."

Changbin smiled when he found them - a set of foam alphabet blocks. "You want them?" Felix nodded slowly after a short pause.

Changbin relayed the message to Chan, who promptly took and paid for the item. They exited the store and headed to the dorm, Felix skipping around while thanking Changbin and Chan on the way there.

"We're home!" Changbin yelled. They kicked their shoes off and took off their masks.

Han, Minho and Jeongin were together in Han's bed. Han was leaning back against the wall watching Jeongin, who held a red sippy cup full of water to Minho's lips. "Alright angel, take small sips and drink slowly."

Felix grabbed two of Chan's fingers at the sight of Minho. He clutched the back of Chan's shirt, hiding behind his shoulder.

"Aww Felix, does seeing Minho in littlespace make you feel little?" Chan tried to turn around but Felix merely clung to him, refusing to move.

"Felix, don't be shy. It's just your family. Don't you want them to see the toys you got? You were really excited." Changbin told him, setting down their bags.

Minho turned to them with wide eyes, finishing his water before talking. "Toys?" He glanced at Jeongin and Jisung.

"Go see what they brought." Han motioned towards the bags.

"Hey, you're back." Hyunjin walked in beside Chan, rubbing his face with a towel. "Hi Felix."

Felix looked up at Hyunjin and ducked away again. Chan shrugged.

"Oh no, we have a shy little koala bear here." Hyunjin poked Felix, walking around Chan. Felix stepped to the side, staying opposite to Hyunjin. "Too bad the tickle monster loves shy koala bears." Hyunjin chased Felix in circles until the younger was giggling, finally letting go of Chan to run to the other side of the room.

Hyunjin caught up with him and pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping him in his towel. "Gotcha!" He started attacking the little's sides.

Minho was going through the haul, squealing at the bath toys. "Duckies!" He squeezed one, running up to Han to show him how it squeaked.

Hyunjin stopped tickling Felix so that he could catch his breath. He skipped towards Minho, showing him the alphabet blocks.

"Wow Lixie, you got a lot of things."

"All these awe fo' both of us." Felix grinned when Minho gasped and grabbed his hands, jumping up and down. They somehow pulled Changbin in with them, skipping around in a circle. Not that Changbin minded. He loved taking care of kids.

"Isn't he cute like this?" Jisung gazed at Minho, his question directed at Jeongin.

"They're adorable." Jeongin held Minho's sippy cup in his lap, feeling better than he had been earlier. A small smile tugged at his lips.

"Lixie, can we go play with the bath toys?" Minho stopped jumping.

"But we gotta take a bath fo' that."

Chan chuckled. "Both of you need to shower anyways, so bath time it is." He pulled the littles to the bigger bathroom.

Minho had his arms full of the bath toys. After being reassured by Chan that no, the ducks would not go down the drain if left in the bathtub before it was filled, he put them down with Felix's help.

"Do you want to take separate baths, or together?" Chan shut the door.

"Together," Minho decided.

Felix scrunched up his eyebrows with a pout, taking a while to think. "Together," he agreed.

"Are you sure?" Minho eagerly nodded in response to Chan while Felix hesitated.

"Only you two, don't wan othews to see." Felix mumbled. He tugged his waistband down to reveal a small patch of discoloured skin that spread across his hip.

"You don't want anyone to see that scar?" Chan knelt down beside him after turning on the faucet and pouring some bubble bath in. "Is it new?" Chan had never seen it before, but it was in a place that was always covered up.

Felix shook his head.

"Don't worry Felix, I have a scar too, see?" Minho lifted his shirt to show a small line on his stomach. "I got it a long time ago from a surgery. It's okay if people see it. Yours looks kinda cool!"

"Really?"

Minho gently outlined the mark on Felix's skin. "Really really! If you have a scar it means you're brave. My mom told me that."

"That tickles!" Felix laughed.

It warmed Chan's heart to see Felix smile and remove his hands from his side. He noticed that Felix was more self-conscious and shy when regressed compared to Minho, who was loud, outgoing and confident. All he wanted was for both of them to be comfortable around everyone.

"The bath's ready, sweethearts."

"Uh, Chan hyung?" Minho's head got stuck in his shirt as he attempted to pull it off.

Chan chuckled. "Let me do that for you." He helped the littles out of their clothes and into the tub.

It wasn't awkward in the slightest for Chan to bathe them, his parental instincts kicking in. Hyunjin joined him for about a minute, watching the littles play with the bubbles and toys before backing out, letting Changbin take his spot. "May I join you?" Chan nodded.

Minho held a rubber duck up to Changbin's face. "Quack." He then floated it towards Felix.

Felix had no objections when Changbin began to lather his hair in shampoo, too busy splashing Minho. "Watch out!"

"Hey!" Minho retaliated with a small splash from his ship, accidentally dampening Chan's shirt. "Sorry."

"It's okay sweetie."

Changbin, Chan found, was extremely good at shampooing and rinsing off the littles. "I've had a lot of practice when babysitting," he explained.

Chan left to retrieve some clothes and towels, returning to a pouting Felix. "Hyungie left."

"And now hyungie is back with fluffy towels." He gently dried Felix off and dressed him. Changbin drained the tub before towelling off Minho.

"Oh, if only we had a big boy who could get dressed all by himself, then Binnie could put the toys away," said Chan, seeing how Minho got fussy when Changbin tried to coax him out of the towel he was wrapped in. That seemed to do the trick. Minho got dressed, grinning when Changbin praised him for being good.

"You've been very good too, love." Chan kissed Felix's cheek.

"Where are the kids?"

"Seungmin’s back." Minho ran out of the bathroom, Felix following him with Chan's hand in his.

"I got you a present, Minho." Seungmin gestured to the small gift box on Minho's bed. "I couldn't help myself. I wish I could have gotten one for Felix too, but I only found one." He put a hand on Minho's back, guiding him forward.

"It's okay Seungminnie hyung." Felix hugged him. "I got us a lot of toys today, Binnie hyung and Channie hyungie and I went shopping."

"Go on, open it." Chan watched Minho eye the box curiously before lifting the lid. He blinked twice and gasped.

"A dino!" Minho shouted loudly, holding up a green plush dinosaur. "Dinosaur! Dinosaur! Thank you Minnie!" He chanted gleefully. Seungmin was now being hugged from both sides, Minho embracing him.

"Use your indoor voice Minho," Changbin reminded him. "It's getting late and we don't want to bother our neighbours."

Minho made an 'o' with his mouth, before quietly thanking Seungmin.

"You're welcome." Seungmin patted his head.

Minho excitedly showed Felix the toy before going around the room. He ran off to show 'Innie, Jinnie and Hannie' as well.

"Hyungie." Felix looked at Chan with puppy dog eyes. "Can I watch a movie with Min hyung? Pwetty please with a chewwy on top?"

"Our sunshine asks so nicely." Chan squished his cheeks. "Go ahead."

"Yay!" Felix wandered off to tell Minho, and soon the two were sitting on the couch watching Kiki's Delivery Service, Minho's pick.

"Min hyung, you have Kiki's bow!"

Minho was wearing his one red bow headband, proudly on display for everyone to see.

"If Minho is Kiki, then who's Jiji?" Jisung came out of nowhere and lay down on top of them.

"Hannie get off my tummy!" Minho shrieked.

"Can I be Jiji?" Felix put his arms over Jisung. "I wanna be Jiji."

"You're wearing a black shirt." Jisung pointed out, sitting up.

"You match Jiji, so you can be my Jiji!" Minho exclaimed. "My kitty cat." He laced his fingers with Felix's despite Han's presence between them.

"Meow." Felix bounced in his seat.

They focused on the movie, copying scenes and cheering for the characters. Felix seemed to be having the most fun, a constant smile on his face.

"You know what you are Felix? You're a happy cat." Han stated.

"Happy cat?" Felix glanced at him.

"A sunshiny happy kitty cat."

He giggled, liking the newfound nickname. "M' Ji hyung's happy cat."

"Yes you are."

About ten minutes before the ending Changbin called them for dinner.

"But Binnie," Minho whined, "We were almost done."

Chan finished setting the table. "Tell you what, if you come and eat at the table right now, I'll let you have dessert in front of the TV."

"Cookies?" Felix suggested.

"Chocolate chip cookies."

That got Minho to eagerly scramble to the table, taking a spot between Jeongin and Changbin. Chan was heading for his room when he felt a tug on his shirt.

"Hyungie's gonna eat?" Felix hugged his legs.

"Yes Lix, in a minute. I need to put something away and go to the washroom. Go on and start eating with the others."

Felix pouted but complied, heading to the table. He climbed into an empty seat beside Jisung. Seungmin sat down beside him although he had already eaten, watching something on his phone.

He fiddled with his chopsticks, eyes darting from member to member. Minho was gobbling up small pieces of meat, Jeongin was moving to refill his sippy cup, Jisung was stuffing his cheeks as always, and Hyunjin was shoving half the vegetables he got with his stir-fry onto Changbin's plate.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Seungmin asked him, noticing how the little kept poking at his food.

Felix tried holding the chopsticks properly, but one slipped from his fingers onto his plate. He turned to Seungmin and pushed his plate towards him. "Ah."

"You want me to feed you?" Felix nodded with an open mouth. Seungmin put his phone away, feeding Felix small bites.

Chan finally joined them a few minutes later, snorting at Hyunjin. "You're pickier than the kids, Jinnie." It was amusing to see Felix and Minho clean their plates while Hyunjin avoided certain food items.

"I hate boiled vegetables." Hyunjin looked at a piece of eggplant with disgust before placing it on Changbin's plate.

"Ji hyung looks like a squiwwel," Felix observed, speaking between bites. "Squiwwel hyung."

Jisung puffed his cheeks out, blowing him a kiss. "Happy cat."

Soon Felix and Minho were back on the couch, happily munching on a plate of cookies while finishing the movie. Chan was surprised to find very few crumbs on the seats, rewarding the boys with hair ruffles and praises before sending them off to brush their teeth.

Chan went to Felix's room after making sure the dishes were done. Felix was already in bed, holding a picture book. Minho was beside him, swinging his legs off the edge of the bed, sucking his sparkly pink pacifier.

"Hyungie, wead us a stowy please?" Felix proposed politely.

"Alright bub. Is Minho going to sleep here?"

"Mhm. Now stowy!"

Chan read the book to them in lots of silly voices, watching them get progressively sleepier. Felix mumbled a small 'night 'yun'ie' at the end, comfortably cuddling Minho.

Chan kissed their foreheads, pulling Felix's blanket snug up to their chests. He would do it a thousand times over to see their half-asleep smiles again.


	6. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No regression in this chapter, but I'll get to that soon enough :) also lots of dialogue .-.

Minho watched as Felix chewed his bottom lip, double checking his bedroom door to ensure it was locked.

Chan glanced at both of them before shifting his gaze to the box on the floor. "What's with-"

"Just a minute." Felix cut him off, joining the other two on his bed.

"Your bed is pretty soft." Chan lay down, running a hand along the sheets.

"I uh, took off the plastic cover about a week ago. It's not easy to fall asleep on that thing, it's not that comfortable. That's... also related to what I'm about to say." Felix made it a point to not look at Minho's questioning look or Chan's curious eyes.

"Okay, the reason why I've gathered you here tonight is that I have something to say. About earlier." He sighed, recalling the events that had occurred in the morning.

It was supposed to be a normal day. Minho made a habit out of sleeping in Felix's bed at least twice a week, after liking it so much the first night when Chan had tucked them in. Although, he always seemed to wake up to Felix scurrying out of bed with red ears.

This morning Felix had woken up first as usual, except he froze when he heard Jeongin yelling from the hall.

"Hey hyungs, who do these belong to?"

He quickly pretended to be asleep, hearing the voices of Hyunjin and Han respond to the youngest member.

It couldn't be.

Minho still had his arms around Felix when he opened his eyes, but Changbin was nowhere to be seen.

"Is that a pack of pull-ups?" Hyunjin’s words rang in his ears.

He had been so careful when he had received the package in the mail the week before, waiting until he was alone to open it and try on the items inside. He had placed the pack in one of the bathroom cabinets behind a stack of toilet paper and soap refills, hoping that no one would find them.

"I accidentally knocked over a bunch of things in the cabinet and found them when organizing everything." If Felix had his eyes open he would have rolled them. Leave it to Jeongin to be clumsy enough to find his hidden stash.

"Well they aren't mine either, so that leaves Yongbok, Lee Know hyung, Chan hyung, Changbin hyung and Seungmin."

"But Minho hyung has his... thingies in his closet." This time it was Han that spoke up. Felix was glad for the censorship, although Hyunjin had been the only one blunt with his wording so far.

"What's all the ruckus about?" Felix could recognize Seungmin's sleepy voice from a mile away, internally groaning as the others explained the situation. Had they no respect for privacy?

"Whoever those belong to probably doesn't want it to be known to be public, meaning us. Put them back." Felix made a mental note to hug Seungmin later.

He continued to feign sleep as Minho shifted beside him, rousing from his slumber. "I heard yelling, you guys are loud."

"Sorry hyung." Seungmin apologized, his voice coming from somewhere nearby. "Innie found a pack of pull-ups in the... cabinet?" He enunciated the last word slowly.

Felix stayed still, waiting for any indication as to why it was suddenly quiet.

"Oh," Minho said softly.

Oh no.

It was then that Felix noticed that his shirt was riding up on one side and his waistband was digging in a little too low on his hips. Which meant he had been found out.

"Do we tell him? Or the others?" Seungmin asked in a quiet voice.

"No, we don't. He didn't tell us all this time, so we'll pretend the both of us know nothing until he comes to us." Minho patted Felix's back in a soothing manner.

"Right." Then, in a teasing manner, "Did you get that from the girl's section?"

Felix could only assume he was referring to the headband Minho had left on the side table.

"Did you get that shirt from the girl's section?" Minho retaliated. "It's an inch and a belt away from being a dress."

Felix opened his eyes enough to squint. Seungmin made a face and left, shaking his head.

"Lix, I know you're awake." Minho tousled his hair. Felix only squeezed Minho's hand when the older held his, wanting to say nothing.

"You should probably go wash up."

Felix had nodded with a grateful smile and disappeared into the bathroom, doing his business before going about his day as if nothing had happened.

Which brought him to right now.

"The pull-ups in the cabinet are mine. I know Seungmin and Lee Know hyung know that much. I guess I should explain."

He reached for Minho's hand, a habit he picked up from the older. "I have this problem. When I get stressed or worried, overwhelmed even, I end up waking up to a, shall I say, accident. It's not a regular thing but it happens often enough, especially if I fall asleep while regressed or right after I come out of headspace."

"Is that all?" Minho rubbed circles with his thumbs on Felix's hands.

He shrugged. "I decided to do something about it, since I was getting tired of hiding accidents. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, the mattress protector wasn't the nicest thing to sleep on. So I ordered the pull-ups. That box on the floor is my second order, it came today. I uh, didn't know if I should put it in the cabinet with my open pack or hide it in my room." He exhaled shakily. "So that secret's out now."

Chan nodded solemnly when he was finished speaking. "Thank you for telling us."

"I wasn't going to at first. I mean, I’m an adult. It's embarrassing, but it's also something I can't really control, so I figured I might as well let you guys know." Felix pulled his knees to his chest.

Chan extended his arms, seeing how Felix seemed to get lost in his thoughts, staring blankly. Overthinking would only make him more worried, and all Chan wanted was to calm him down. Felix chuckled, giving Chan a hug. "How do you know when to wear them though?"

Felix pursed his lips. "Um, I use them every night for now. I don't need them that often, but for now if I don't have one on I worry that I'll have an accident and be caught, then I put one on and stress out over someone finding out I need pull-ups, and it snowballs from there." He cringed.

"Hey, it's okay. We won't judge you, none of us would ever," Minho assured him. "It's more like a condition for you - you get stressed, you have an accident. The more embarrassed and worked up you get over it, the more likely you'll have a problem. So if we can make you comfortable about it, then it'll be less of a big deal."

Felix let his words sink in, agreeing with his advice.

"Is there anything else you want to say? Any things you need?" Chan faced him. The younger always said he didn't need any more toys or regression items, but Chan wasn't convinced.

"Hmm, I need a sippy cup." Felix answered. "I can't hold glasses properly when I'm little, I'm worried I'll drop one someday."

"We'll get you one."

Felix opened his mouth to add more items, hesitating. He could do without them. "That's probably the only thing I need for now."

"What about things you want? Don't be modest, Yongbok-ah." Minho insisted. "You can get things even if you don't need them."

Felix didn't have to think hard to find an answer. Countless hours of searching for little stuff left him with a number of things he wanted. "I want to have a baby bottle, like what you have, hyung. Oh, and pacifier clips, I found a few online that I really like."

Chan typed on his phone, making a list. "Alright."

"Last thing, I really wish I had overalls to wear in the dorm. I think they would make me feel small."

Chan smiled. "Our haengbokie's going to look so cute in them."

"Your haengbokie," Minho corrected, all heads turning to face him. "What? It's true."

"Hyung," Felix groaned, grabbing Minho by the shoulders and shaking him back and forth.

It was no lie that Felix always went looking for the leader when he was feeling small. He had a special place in his heart for Chan even though he loved all the members the same, fooling around with him and asking his permission before following the others around the dorm. There was also the fact that while Changbin had recently become aware of Felix's want to be tucked in, the younger never pressed him to do so when he offered, always waiting for Chan.

"I'll leave you two to talk. In the meantime, Lix, do you want to tell the others about your nighttime situation?" Minho reached for the doorknob.

"Yes, I mean no, I- well," Felix stumbled over his words, taking a breath. "I want them to know, but I don't want to be the one telling them, if that's alright."

"Whatever makes you feel at ease. I'll be in my room." The door closed behind him.

Chan was the first to address what Minho had implied. "You know I like taking care of you Felix."

Felix nodded.

"The other day I was talking to the others, they were saying how you have long conversations with them sometimes and cuddle them afterwards, and I thought huh, he's never done that with me. I don't know, I just really want to be your person?" Felix was listening intently, focused on Chan. "Stop looking at me like that!"

Chan looked to his side. He rarely felt shy, but confessing his feelings to a staring Felix made him want to hide his face.

The leader sometimes acted cute to the other members, teasing them and bothering them. But he never did the same to Felix. He had the urge to protect the younger whenever he was around him, to be an older brother and role model for him. Felix was a piece of home for Chan, and once upon a time he had been strict on the younger, bossing him around and questioning him in an attempt to keep him by his side. Now Chan knew better than to keep such a tight grip on him, but still wanted to keep him close, hence the want to take care of him.

"You are my person hyung, I love it when you're around me. It's just, I sometimes feel like I go to you too much?" Chan whipped his head around, about to object when Felix held a hand up. "You're always so busy and you take care of all of us, I don't want to take up more of your time. Even if I really want to." He whispered the last line.

Chan frowned. "Come here." He motioned to the space beside him, waiting until Felix was beside him to wrap an arm around him.

"I will always make time for you no matter what. You guys, my members- my family, you come first. I wouldn't be here without you guys, and you will always be my first priority no matter how much work I have on my hands." Chan spoke softly with a determined look. "You'd never be a bother or a waste of my time."

Felix leaned his head against Chan's side. "I really, really like it when you take care of me hyung. You make me feel safe and small simply by being around me. I trust you, hyung." He sighed, waiting for his nerves to settle. "Will you... be my main caregiver?"

He didn't expect to be lifted off the bed, laughing as Chan spun him around in his arms.

"I'd like nothing more, my sunshine."

Felix's heart fluttered as he was put down on his feet. "My hyungie? For real?" He giggled.

"Your hyungie, pinky promise." Chan affirmed, holding out his pinky. Felix linked his finger with his with a small smile. "Unless you have any other names for me?"

"Just hyungie is fine for now." Felix shook his head. He bit his lip when a few other options raced through his mind.

"Hyungie and haengbokie. I like that, Lix." Chan murmured into Felix's hair.

"Chris."

"Lix."

"Chris."

Back and forth they went, with growing smiles and cuter voices.

"Lixie."

"Chrissy." His cheeks were tinged pink, and he pressed his face against Chan's shoulder.

"Chrissy?" Chan chuckled. "You're too cute. Are we Chrissy and... Lissy?" Felix squeaked, throwing his arms around Chan's neck. "I guess we've found another nickname for you, love."

He felt the younger relax against him. "You want to get ready for bed?" Felix nodded. Talking his feelings out had been draining, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed.

Chan carried him bridal style to the bathroom, waiting for him to brush his teeth. The door swung closed for a few minutes, then Felix shuffled out, letting Chan take his hand and guide him to room.

Chan tucked him in, using his stuffed rabbit to pepper kisses on his cheeks before pressing his own lips against Felix's freckles.

There was a knock at the bedroom door. "It's Changbin, I'm going to sleep."

Chan shrugged when Felix glanced at him. "Come in," the leader called out.

"I went out earlier and found this." Changbin entered, holding a small star-shaped nightlight. He plugged it into the wall and turned the lights off.

Felix gasped, and Chan mirrored him. Dim yellow stars were being projected onto the wall and ceiling.

"Pretty neat right? Minho hyung said he could sleep through the light so I figured we could get this. You know, to help." Changbin kept a straight face, but Chan could see excitement in his eyes.

"Hyung, I love it. Thank you." Felix admired the patterns around him. Chan kissed him goodnight again before leaving the room.

"I'm glad you like it, there were too many designs to choose from." Changbin faced him. "You look cute and snug like that."

He pounced onto Felix, sprawling over him. "Hyung wait, don't-"

His pull-up crinkled as he shifted under Changbin's weight and he tensed, cheeks heating up.

Felix knew Changbin knew. The older paused before joining Felix under his blanket. "I don't care, Lix. I kind of knew already. Now let me cuddle you to sleep."

Felix sighed, snuggling closer to him until they were spooning. Changbin had an arm and a leg around him.

"Sleep tight haengbokie."

Felix was barely awake enough to acknowledge Minho entering the room to join them, muttering something about Changbin stealing his spot. He fell asleep with fingers in his hair and a certain warmth in his heart.


	7. Experiments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is late .-. It's hard to write because I've had,, a wild two weeks. My finals got cancelled, and you'd think I have plenty of time now but it's quite the opposite.
> 
> Danceracha-centric chapter! Actually all the chapters will surround the littles in one way or another. I tend to write more about Felix (can you guess he's my bias? Heh) but I'll try writing about the others!
> 
> I just had to find Lix the perfect sippy cup, so here's the one I found and liked -> https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/712429849/kisses-bunny-sippy-cup-toddler-tumbler
> 
> Anyways, stay at home, stay safe and wash your hands with soapies for 20 secs~

"Okay guys, take a ten minute break."

Minho turned off the music. He, along with Felix and Hyunjin, had been doing a group dance lesson. The choreographer had already left, leaving them to practice on their own.

Hyunjin collapsed onto the floor, trying to catch his breath while Felix skipped over to his bag.

Minho grabbed three water bottles and handed them one each, receiving grateful smiles in return.

"I forgot to show you guys, I have no idea when I.N. and Chan hyung went out to buy this." Felix pulled a sippy cup out of his bag, filled with a golden liquid that Minho assumed was apple juice. It had a white lid and a picture of two bunnies on it.

"It's adorable."

"I love the bunnies."

Minho chatted away with an eager Felix, watching Hyunjin sit up from the corner of his eye. He gnawed on a fingernail, glancing at them.

"I have a question."

Hyunjin waited until both pairs of eyes were on him. "How did you guys find out you were littles?"

Minho grabbed his water bottle and made his way towards Hyunjin, sitting down. Felix did the same.

"Do I go first?" Felix asked Minho. He shrugged.

"I used to research a lot of ways to deal with stress. Back when I was starting high school, I tried out a lot of things to get through hard or stressful days. I stumbled across the term age regression one day, and the more I researched about it the more I wanted to try it out."

Felix chuckled. "I found that I really liked it. The first time I regressed I watched cartoons and hugged Cinnamon, trying out babyish voices. After a couple of tries I figured out what my headspace was like. It was hard to hide from everyone else of course, but I managed."

"Is it your only method of de-stressing?" Hyunjin asked.

"Nope. Dancing helps me unwind on days when I need to feel productive. Playing video games helps me relax sometimes, they distract me for a while."

Minho nodded, remembering how on some mornings he would be woken up by Changbin shouting at Felix in surprise for staying awake playing games until the crack of dawn. The younger always said he was fine with the lack of sleep - gaming was a way for him to recharge.

"Your turn Lee Know hyung," Hyunjin said.

"I guess I was a regressor before I even found the term. I was already pretty childish, everyone knew I was better off around people my age or older. That got amplified on stressful days. When I'd need a little more comfort, more relief, I'd find someone or something to cuddle instead of avoiding work or watching cartoons. I got myself the blanket I have, and it helped me immensely."

He smiled fondly at the memories. "Then I found myself staring at kids' toys and baby things in stores, wondering how it'd be to try them out. Behind closed doors I wore knee-high socks and a baggy shirt and drew pictures or walked around sort of tilted. At one point I wondered if I was acting too immature for my age. I looked online and surprise surprise, there's a word for what I do."

"So you felt like the term fit your behaviour, and Lix started behaving like a little after finding out about it." Hyunjin sighed and started biting his nails again, lost in thought.

"Jinnie, you look nervous." Felix mentioned.

Hyunjin took a breath. "I think I want to try age regression, if that's okay."

Felix choked on the water he was drinking, barely registering Minho’s hand on his back as he coughed violently. Hyunjin... a little? It wasn't so much as a bad thing as it was surprising. He never would have guessed that another member, let alone Hyunjin, would be open to trying out little space.

"Or maybe not." Hyunjin added.

"No no it's- it's fine. I just- you took me by surprise. I promise you it's okay," he spluttered between coughs. "You can continue."

"Why do you want to try it?"

Hyunjin shrugged at Minho. "I don't know. I don't really need it, I deal with stress by dancing, listening to music, or talking to you guys. It could be another outlet for me, or not." He tried to come up with an answer. "Wait, no. I probably shouldn't, I mean you two have actual reasons."

"Hey, relax. You can try it just because you want to." Felix smiled reassuringly. "I used to only regress on stressful days, but I often get into headspace because it makes me happy, nothing more. You don't need to be having a hard time to do it."

That seemed to put Hyunjin at ease. Minho grinned. "How about you stick around the next time one of us regresses?"

"I was thinking of that- oh lord, it's been fifteen minutes. We have to practice." Hyunjin's head whipped up as he noticed the time. He got up and skipped over to the speakers to turn on the music.

The others stood up and moved to their positions, Hyunjin joining them.

Maybe Minho was reading into things too much, but he was already starting to notice certain childish habits Hyunjin had.

Once the three of them returned to the dorm, Felix all but yelled at Jeongin in excitement after finding three overalls spread out on his bed, gifted to him by the maknae. He went off in search of Chan, but to no avail. The leader was still at the company with the rest of 3racha.

Minho found himself being dragged to Felix's room to help him pick an outfit. Jeongin had gotten him a pair of normal faded blue overalls, and shortalls in the colours black and pastel purple. He sent a quick text to Chan before giving Felix his undivided attention.

"You can choose any of them, Lix. You'll look good in any of them."

Felix shyly reached for the purple overalls, hugging them to his chest. "This one's the pwettiest."

Minho poked his cheek. "Did Lixie slip into headspace all by himself? Good job!"

Felix giggled. "I go put this on?"

"Yes haengbokie, you can wear it." Then he was being pushed out of the room, gently, being told not to peek. He decided to wait in his room, sitting on his bed. Opposite to him lay Hyunjin in his own bunk, busy on his phone.

"Hyunjin," he called out. Hyunjin faced him. "I know we agreed you could try being little next time one of us regressed, but you don't have to do it now. Felix just regressed."

"Hyung, I'll be fine. It's all good." He replied in a cute voice.

"Lee Know hyung I’m ready." Felix climbed in beside Minho, smiling widely. "Is Jin-jin hyung gonna be small?"

"I'm not sure how." Hyunjin admitted. "What if I can't do it? What if I'm only acting-"

"Let me stop you right there." Minho moved over to Hyunjin, Felix in tow. "See, here's a fun fact. Everyone age regresses to some extent. Skipping around, cuddling things for comfort, watching cartoons, things like these are small-scale regressive behaviours. If you don't think too much about what you're doing, it'll be easier to fall into a childlike mentality. And if you can't, at least you'll have fun."

Hyunjin thought it over. "What... should I do?"

"Whatever you want. The world is your oyster." Minho had had long, late-night conversations with Hyunjin on the topic, so he knew the full extent of Hyunjin's understanding of littlespace. He told Hyunjin that he could regress to any age, be it a baby, toddler, child or even a middle. He even clarified that Hyunjin didn't have to restrict himself to behaviours or items of one age, explaining how he and Felix liked pacifiers despite having older headspaces.

"Who else is here besides the three of us?" Hyunjin fiddled with the edge of his shirt.

Felix replied to him. "Seungminnie hyung and Jeonginnie hyung.”

"Okay."

Minho closed the door when Hyunjin kept glancing in its direction. He clearly seemed uncomfortable with the idea of someone else walking in on them. "We can start small, like playing a board game or solving a puzzle. What do you want to do, Lixie?"

"M' gonna sit an' play with-" he gasped, sliding off the bed. "I left Cinnamon an' my paci on Jeonginnie hyung's bed!"

He ran out of the room, taking the time to close the door behind him.

"He looks cute." Hyunjin looked down. "Hyung, can... can I try on one of your onesies?"

"Of course. Is there any particular one that you want?" Minho showed him the various options he had. He frowned when Hyunjin hesitated to answer, eyes darting between two of the onesies. Both were snap-crotch ones, unlike the others Minho had.

"Does Hyunjinnie want one of these?" He pointed to them, speaking in a hushed and soothing tone.

Hyunjin looked away, turning to the footie onesies. "Those are a little babyish, aren't they."

"It's okay if you like them." He bit back a smile when Hyunjin lowered his head and tugged on the grey onesie covered in bunnies.

"I'll go check on Felix." _You can change in private_. Hyunjin gave him a slight nod, mumbling a small 'thank you' as he took the outfit from him.

Minho found Felix playing a clapping game with I.N. "Did you forget about your favourite hyung, Felix?"

The younger gasped. "Min hyung! I didn't fowget, I got my paci and bunny but I falled down, then Jeonginnie hyun' came an' saw me cwying so he kissed it bettew. Now we playing!"

"Oh, did he now?" He looked up at Jeongin.

"He tripped on the rug," the maknae explained. Minho immediately scowled, shaking his head.

"Watch this." He stomped on Jisung's neon rug spitefully, chanting, "Bad rug, bad rug, you hurt my Lixie." Felix started laughing.

"Alright my precious little kitty cat, I'm going back to my room now." Minho headed back, knocking on the closed door.

"It's Lee Know." He slipped inside.

Hyunjin stood in front of their mirror, eyes lingering on his exposed legs. He avoided looking up at the reflection of his own face. "Is this... do I look okay?"

Minho hummed. "Are you comfortable?" He guided Hyunjin away from the mirror, pushing his shoulders so he would sit down.

Hyunjin nodded meekly. "Then that's all that matters, Jinnie. This is about what you want to do and feel."

"I, um, could I colour?" Minho gave him one of his colouring books, pausing at the box of crayons. He had other choices for colouring, but usually defaulted to crayons in headspace. Hyunjin might not be the same.

"Crayons or coloured pencils, kiddo?"

"Pencils." Hyunjin crossed his legs, choosing to stay on the floor. "The way you're talking to me makes me feel kind of... fuzzy."

"Can I keep talking you down?" Minho patted his head, taking a seat beside him when he mumbled a quiet 'yes' and picked up a pencil.

Hyunjin settled on colouring in some kittens, scrunching up his eyebrows as he concentrated. There was a subtle change in his demeanor as he coloured. The creases on his forehead disappeared as he relaxed, and he started scribbling in circles instead of neatly filling in the outlines.

"You're doing good, darling." Minho kept an arm around him, occasionally playing with his hair.

He accidentally scribbled outside the lines and froze, turning to Minho with a timid look. "Oops."

"That's okay Jinnie, keep going. I want to see how the pretty kitties look when you're done." Minho encouraged him.

With a soft smile Hyunjin continued, adding more colours. His scribbles got messier, but he was content. Minho smiled. Hyunjin was finally in his headspace.

"Jin-jin hyung, whatcha do- yay colouws!" Hyunjin tensed as Felix scrambled into the room.

"Lix, use your quiet voice please. Hyunjinnie doesn't want anyone else to know for now, right?" Minho reminded him, not unkindly.

Felix quickly closed the door and gave Hyunjin a hug. "Sowwy hyung, and Min hyung."

"It's okay," Hyunjin said. Minho noted how he spoke with a childish drawl. Unlike himself and Felix in headspace, Hyunjin seemed to like using his normal speaking voice.

Felix clung to Hyunjin as he coloured, peering over his shoulder.

"Done." Hyunjin tugged on Minho's sleeve. "Is it okay?"

He flashed Hyunjin a loving smile and tousled his hair. "It's better than okay, it's beautiful! I could look at it all day."

Felix said something to Hyunjin, making them both smile. Then they were whispering to each other, giggling every so often. Minho let them have their secret conversation, only interrupting them when he heard the dorm door opening.

Hyunjin calmly got dressed in his old clothes and Minho whisked the colouring book aside, just in time for Jisung to come into the room. While he cooed at Felix, Hyunjin leaned in to tell Minho something before leaving.

"Thank you hyung, but let's just keep it between us for now."

"Of course, Hyunjin."


	8. Break Time pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are your favourite cartoons? I've seen tons growing up, but I've been meaning to watch My Little Pony and Monster High :)

Hyunjin had his phone on maximum volume, dancing freely in his room to music on full blast. The boys had three days of break from work, and he had been the first to return to the dorm after having lunch with Seungmin and Jeongin.

The others would be returning slowly, but until then Hyunjin would be enjoying his time alone to the fullest.

An upbeat track started playing and he jumped around without much thought. He wore a shirt that was two sizes too big for him, trying to see why Felix dressed as such when regressed. It made him feel small in his clothes.

He giggled, wondering what it would be like to skip around with the other dancers, to spin them around to the music without a care in the world. Grabbing the stuffed dinosaur off Minho's bed, he closed his eyes and twirled.

"Dance with me, dino!" He laughed, being careful not to bump into anything, although he had a good feel for his surroundings.

"I gotta ask Lix and Lee Know hyung to do this sometime-"

He faced the doorway and froze.

Seungmin, Jeongin and Changbin were watching him, a phone in Seungmin's hand that he was sure was recording him. Seungmin had a habit of taking pictures or videos of the members, especially when they thought no one was watching them. It was a strange but intimate feeling, to witness moments where people showed their true selves.

Except now was an extremely bad time in Hyunjin's eyes.

"Why'd you stop? I was about to join in." Jeongin pouted.

Hyunjin did the most logical thing he could think of with a clouded mind. He leapt onto his mattress and shoved himself in the corner of the wall, hands flailing wildly to yank the broken curtain over his bed across to shield himself. It only moved partway, and he bit back a curse while pulling his knees to his chest. He paused the music, leaving the four of them in abrupt silence.

"Hyunjin, what's wrong?" Seungmin asked. "You were just dancing, it was really fun."

"I wasn't just dancing." He swallowed thickly, processing his feelings. For some reason fear was coursing through his veins and his heart ached for a loving pet name or calming touch.

"I was sort of regressed? I- I'm trying it out. I was going to keep it hidden until I could figure it out for myself, with some help from Lix and Minho hyung." He let the words desperately tumble out of his mouth before the searing pain of unshed tears shot up his throat. Why did he feel so bad? He was only a bit embarrassed.

"Oh," Seungmin breathed. Hyunjin knew what he had been thinking. Seungmin, along with the others had thought he was only fooling around, being silly.

"Hyunjinnie," Changbin said finally, after watching the scene unfold. "You got pulled out of headspace, I think. If you're feeling weird right now that's probably why. We're sorry." Hyunjin heard a chorus of affirmations coming from the youngest two. He pulled back the curtain.

"S'okay, you didn't know." He was slipping again, a tear rolling off his eyelashes.

Then Changbin was by his side, whispering that he could cry if he needed to, it would make him feel better. Seungmin hugged him from the back, and Jeongin stood nearby with a soft smile, not wanting to overwhelm him.

Felix, who had returned with Changbin shortly after Seungmin and Jeongin, walked in to see Hyunjin and Jeongin dancing, leaving Changbin in charge of music while Seungmin sat and watched.

"You're having a party without me? I only took ten minutes to shower!"

"Lixie!" Hyunjin hugged him, then grabbed his hands and spun around with him. They laughed.

"Jin-Jin hyung feelin' small?" Hyunjin eagerly nodded. Felix pouted at his reddish eyes. "You wew' sad?"

"Don't worry, I'm okay now. I just told the others I'm a little." He grinned.

"You told evewyone?"

"Well not everyone, but I gotta!" He exaggerated the 'everyone', excitedly skipping around before lifting Felix's arm to let him twirl.

It was only a matter of waiting for the others to return so Hyunjin could break the news to them. Chan didn't need to be told, ruffling Hyunjin's hair as he and Felix snacked on some cookies. He then had a devilish grin, chasing the littles around to steal their cookies.

"Cookie monstew, wun away Jinnie!"

When Jisung and Minho returned much later they were pleasantly surprised to find Jeongin feeding Felix, with Seungmin keeping an eye on Hyunjin as they ate.

"Hyunjin's testing things out," Minho whispered to Jisung. He nodded, moving to Hyunjin to press a soft kiss to his head and compliment him on eating neatly.

The other members turned to Minho expectantly. Heat crept up his ears. He pinched them. "What?"

"You can join them," Changbin mentioned.

"Maybe later." Minho was about to leave when Jisung called out to him.

"Felix says you took care of him and Hyunjin the other day, how did you not slip?"

"Oh, that." He looked at his feet, not wanting all eight pairs of eyes on him. "I can do both. Be little or a carer, separately. For lack of a better term, I'm a switch."

“Cool.”

The next morning Felix was shaken awake by none other than Minho.

"Felix, wake up, our stuffies are missing."

Felix groggily lifted his head. "What?"

"Look, no dino, no blankie, no bunny." Minho pulled him up and gestured to the rest of his bed and the floor.

"Whewe's Cinnamon?" He rubbed his eyes.

"I dunno Lix. We have a stuffie thief."

They decided to brush their teeth before continuing their search, heading to the smallest room with Han and I.N. still asleep.

"Hannie!" Minho nudged him despite Felix's protests. "Hannie d'you have your piggie with you?"

"Do I have- huh? No, I don't."

"Stuffie thief strikes again!" Minho smacked a hand down.

"Min hyung, let squiwwel hyun' sleep." Felix pulled him away, stopping at his room to grab his starry pacifier before dragging Minho to the last bedroom.

"No' hewe." Felix mumbled around his soother, looking around. "Mo'nin 'yun'ie."

Chan was sitting up in bed, still drowsy. "Good morning haengbokie. You too Minho." He snapped awake. "Wait, sweethearts, why're you up?"

"Oh gosh." Hyunjin said quietly.

"How long have _you_ been awake?" Chan wondered, glancing down at Hyunjin.

"About five minutes."

"Guys, there's a stuffed animal thief on the loose!" Minho stomped his feet, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"We gotta hunt this thief down then." Hyunjin stumbled out of bed towards the bathroom. Felix and Minho waited for him patiently.

Chan yawned, noticing Felix's pull-up poking out of his waistband. "Lix baby, don't you need a change?"

Felix shook his head, squealing as someone covered his eyes. "Guess who's here to help?"

"Squiwwel 'yung!" Felix turned around and jumped onto Jisung's back.

Hyunjin returned, asking Minho if he could borrow a onesie. He eyed the one he had worn before, but grabbed a longer one instead and got dressed. Minho decided to wear a onesie as well.

Chan leaned against the wall, saying he would join them in a minute, and the four of them set off to resume their quest.

"What if there's a scary monster stealing our stuff?" Minho paused at the end of the hall, hearing voices coming from the living room.

"Don't be silly, Min." Hyunjin assured him. Minho still looked unsure, tugging on Han's sleeve.

"I'm gonna protect Lixie." Felix smiled, letting Minho pull him into his arms.

"Sungie, uppies?" Hyunjin looked up at him. Jisung chuckled and bent down so he could climb on. "Piggyback!"

Although Minho stood bravely in front of Felix, he sent the others forward first.

"Minho! Lixie! Come quick, we found your things!"

Said boys poked their heads around the corner with wide eyes.

"Look, it's a big scary dragon that hoards the well-loved toys of kids." Jisung laughed.

"Yah, be quiet." Changbin scowled. "I made a surprise for the littles."

In the living room was a large pillow fort, with a blanket covering the carpet and pillows inside. At least half of the assorted plushies Felix had in his closet were inside, and his stuffed rabbit and Minho's dinosaur were placed by the opening.

"Changbinnie's the thief!" Minho shouted. "Get him!"

He grabbed his dino and started hitting Changbin with it, Hyunjin joining in from on top of Jisung with a pillow.

"Cut it out! Is this how you treat your Binnie hyung, who made a nice fort for you?" Changbin shielded himself with a couch cushion.

Felix shuffled over to him, motioning for the others to move aside. He pulled his pacifier out to briefly kiss Changbin's cheek with a quiet 'thankies Bin hyung’ before diving into the fort.

"See, this is why I love Felix more."

With a relaxed sigh Felix cuddled his rabbit and sucked on his pacifier. He grinned at the sight of his laptop, turning it on. Minho and Hyunjin entered once they were done battering Changbin.

"Blankie!" Minho buried his face in the pink and yellow cloth.

"Don't forget about breakfast, little ones." Jisung carried plates of pancakes to them, spreading another blanket over the floor to catch any crumbs. Then he joined them, cutting up pieces for Felix and occasionally feeding him. Hyunjin sat between the two, clinging to one or the other while Minho stayed aside to eat in peace.

"To the princes that live in this castle, your beverages have arrived." Jeongin came into the fort holding a tray full of drinks.

"Jeonginnie hyung!"  
"Innie!"  
"Inin!"

He beamed and poked Hyunjin's cheek.

"Inin. That's adorable."

He gave Hyunjin a bottle of banana milk with a straw in it, and Felix and Minho got sippy cups of chocolate milk.

"Thank you, kind Innie," Minho giggled, playing the role of a prince.

"Thankies." Felix accepted his sippy, holding it upright in his lap.

There were also four plastic cups of water on the tray, which Jeongin set down before leaving. Jisung grabbed one of the cups.

When all the plates were empty and stacked on the tray they chose to watch cartoons - Hyunjin, as the oldest in headspace, was given the freedom to pick a show. He went for Tom and Jerry, and soon the sound of laughter and squeals filled the living room.

"Felix, Minho, Hyunjin!"

The three of them poked their heads out on top of each other.

"Smile!"

Seungmin held his camera up and took a few pictures, then headed off to eat.

"I'll be back in a flash." Jisung stood up to leave, having to coax Hyunjin to let go of his waist.

"But Jisung," Hyunjin whined, "You're nice and warm."

Jisung smiled. "I promise you we'll cuddle more after I get back. Lixie, my happy cat, give Jinnie here some love." He folded over the crumb-covered blanket and carried it along with their plates, stepping out.

Felix happily wrapped his arms around Hyunjin.

"Felix, that tickles!" Hyunjin doubled over, laughing as Felix tickled his stomach before resting his head over the older's shoulder.

"I want cuddles too." Minho pouted.

"Come here, Min." Hyunjin pulled Minho to his side with his other arm.

"You said these onesies are too hot to wear." Minho frowned when Hyunjin shifted his legs uncomfortably.

"I don't want to wear the other ones."

"Why, 'cause they too small?"

Hyunjin shook his head. "They fit. But I'm too old for those."

"Says who? You like them, so wear them."

"I like them, but... what will everyone think?"

"Told you I'd be back in a flash." Jisung came back inside.

"Tell Jin-jin hyung he can weaw whatevew he wants." Felix said.

"What does he want to wear? A t-shirt, a tutu, pajamas with lots of polka dots?" He tapped Hyunjin's nose, making him giggle. "If it makes you feel comfy, wear it."

Hyunjin whispered into Jisung's ear, "Wanna wear a onesie."

"You are wearing a onesie," Jisung whispered back, slightly confused.

"The ones that go up to here." He motioned to his upper thighs. "Only babies wear those."

"But I wear those too Jinnie, I'm not a baby," Minho argued.

"You're littler than me, Min, so it's okay if you wear them."

"And how old are you?" Jisung questioned.

"Seven."

"All of you are littler than me right now, so it's okay if you like anything and everything that's babyish or not." Jisung squished Hyunjin's cheeks. "And if anyone says otherwise?"

"I beat 'em up!" Felix shouted, his pacifier falling out of his mouth. "Oopsie."

Jisung chuckled. "Yeah, someone's going to get beaten up by a squirrel and a cat. Come on sweetie, let's get you into better clothes."

"Can I come? I wanna get a paci." Minho trailed after them when they nodded.

Felix took a sip of his milk, pausing the cartoon they were watching. He was now alone in the fort, which made him feel smaller and happier.

"Knock knock." Chan crawled up to Felix. "This silly hyungie slept in. Where's everyone else?"

"To get Jinnie hyung comfy clothes, an' Min hyung his paci." Felix stared at the blanket above his head that formed the roof. "I gonna beat up anyone who's mean to Jin-jin hyung, 'cause he's this old but likes tiny onesies." He held up seven fingers.

Chan barked out a laugh. Felix was too precious. "Good idea. And how are you doing, sunshine?"

"I'm okie." Felix reached for his pacifier and blew on it before sticking it back in his mouth. "Hyungie ate?"

Chan nodded, smiling when Felix offered him some chocolate milk. "You're so thoughtful, bub. You can have the rest."

Hyunjin and Minho returned shortly, greeting Chan.

"You look very pretty, Hyunjin."

"Thank you." Hyunjin wiggled his feet, lying down on his stomach. Minho got on top of him, ignoring his groan. He sucked on his blue pacifier and tapped on the laptop to resume the cartoon.

It was the most relaxed they had been in a long time.


	9. Break Time pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to write a note when I posted this but basically the day I started this chapter it was thunderstorming, and you know me, I love me some thunderstorm fics

Minho yawned.

He, Hyunjin and Felix had spent the morning watching cartoons and movies, then played a game of hide-and-seek before having lunch. Minho wanted to play pretend afterwards, and they chose their designated roles, making up a story.

Hyunjin was supposed to be a dragon who kidnapped the young fairy prince, Felix, and sent him into a deep sleep to keep him in the dragon's den forever. It was fitting, considering Felix fell asleep immediately after lunch. Minho played the part of the brave witch (no, not a wizard, because witches were cooler and kept pet cats) sent to rescue the fairy prince.

It turned out that dragon Hyunjin only trapped Felix because he had no friends due to his scary appearance, and felt lonely. Minho pretended to use magic to free Felix from his 'cage', which was really a bundle of stuffed animals that were placed around him in a circle, promising Hyunjin that they could be friends.

"Do you want to take a nap?" Hyunjin nudged Minho, who shook his head.  
"I want to play with you, Jinnie," he yawned again.

"We can play later, it's okay." Hyunjin patted his head.

Minho lay down for a nap, instinctively wrapping his arms around Felix when he moved around in his sleep.

A while later Chan maneuvered around Seungmin and Changbin arguing in the hallway about who left the tube of toothpaste open again, checking where everyone was.

He was glad for days off from work, especially now that he could take care of the littles. Before, he would be worried about how much work he could be doing or how unproductive he was being by taking a break, but now he could be helpful while relaxing by taking care of the members when regressed. It kept him from overworking himself, and seeing their soft smiles was a stress reliever in itself for him.

He sighed when he laid eyes on a peacefully sleeping Felix and Minho.

"Channie hyung! Inin's my horsie!"

Hyunjin was being piggybacked by Jeongin, going around the dorm with a smile plastered on his face.

"Inin, let's go that way." Hyunjin pointed to his room. Jeongin hoisted him up properly, clicking his tongue as he walked.

Chan shook his head, smiling. Hyunjin seemed to be even clingier than normal in headspace, if that was even possible. Minho too, Chan noticed. He seemed to be particularly attached to Felix, perhaps because he was younger than Minho both in and out of little space.

He wanted to let the boys rest a little longer, but it was almost evening. "Wakey wakey, kids. Did you sleep well?"

Felix stretched, holding his arms out. Chan smiled and picked him up. "Hyungie, gotta potty."

"Okay sunshine, we're going. It's bath time anyways."

"Channie hyung," Minho whined, sitting up. "I was in the middle of a great dream."

"You can tell me all about it while I give you two a bath, angel."

He ran them a quick bath, drying them off and dressing them.

Hyunjin had already come out of headspace, though he refused to change out of his onesie, parading around the dorm comfortably before joining Seungmin and Jeongin in the pillow fort, which they had claimed as their spot for the rest of the day.

For Minho and Felix it was story time, then they too came out of headspace. They happily chattered about how much fun it was to be regressed at the same time over dinner.

Felix already had ideas for their next playdate. "Next time, we're playing tag."

"You can't run too fast though, you might get hurt." Chan reminded them.

Minho shot him a look. "Hyung, what are we, five?"

"Yes, you are."

"That backfired nicely," Hyunjin snickered. "We'll be fine, hyung. We'll look both ways before crossing the street and slow down at the corners, all that stuff."

Minho stirred as he heard a small sigh and felt something, or rather someone, move beside him.

"Lix? You awake?"

He heard a hum. "Was I talking in my sleep again? Did I wake you up?"

"No, I'm used to sleeping through that, I just had a bad dream." Felix whispered, pressing his head against Minho's chest.

Minho snaked his arms around Felix. "No monsters can get you here."

They dozed off again, but only for an hour or so, because the next thing they woke up to was the sound of heavy rain pouring against the windows relentlessly.

Minho's breath caught in his throat.

"It's raining." Felix turned to his side.

"I'm going to get some water." Minho took a shaky breath and got out of bed, leaving the room.

The last time there was a thunderstorm, Minho ended up stiffly sitting on the couch with a trembling Jisung clinging to his side, waiting for the thunder and lightning to stop. As an avid horror movie fanatic, along with being less physically affectionate outside of headspace, Minho would rather crawl into a hole than admit to fearing an angry sky.

He made his way over to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, because his throat really had gone dry at the sound of the windows shaking in the howling wind.

He barely chuckled when he heard snoring coming from the living room. When Chan suggested taking the fort apart because it was taking up all of the couches, he was met with seven complaints, the loudest being from Seungmin, Hyunjin and Jeongin. It seemed that the trio was camping out in the fort for the night.

A sudden bout of thunder made him almost lose his grip, and he slowly set down the empty glass before ducking under the table.

A striking flash of lightning, another loud rumble, it all sent shivers down his spine. He whimpered, hugging his knees close.

"Minho hyung!"

He heard Jisung's voice calling out for him, saying something to the other members. Minho found himself unable to focus on who else he was talking to, or why Jisung was even awake at this hour when he could sleep through anything like a hibernating bear. All he could think about was it was dark, loud, and the rain threatened to make the windows cave in. He squeezed his eyes shut at the next flash of lightning, goosebumps creeping up his skin as the wind picked up while thumber growled ferociously.

"Hey, I was looking for you." He felt something poke his shoulder and scrambled backwards. It was Jisung's finger.

"What are you doing under the table?"

"What does it look like?" Minho grumbled, pretending he had tripped and was about to stand up.

Jisung put an arm around him. "You can drop the act, hyung. I know you hate storms as much as I do. It feels safer under the table, doesn't it?"

Minho sat back down with a nod, letting Jisung attach himself to his side without a complaint. He flinched at a deafening bout of thunder and swallowed dryly. Jisung said nothing for a while, rubbing his back.

There was a whip-like crack of lightning that had them both screeching, then Minho was holding onto Jisung for dear life. Likewise, Jisung had his face buried in Minho's shoulder.

"It's so _loud,_" Minho cried out. "Can it stop already?" He just wanted to sleep in quiet peace without the frightening rain or lightning tormenting him. Exhaustion burned behind his eyes, and he swore a tear slipped out. Not that he cared anymore, he was too stressed.

Jisung tightened his grip, for both Minho and himself. He sounded like he was crying, whimpers leaving his lips as he shivered.

"Hyung," he sniffled. Definitely crying.

"Not... hyung, 'm slipping." Minho felt a fresh hot flow of tears coming on. Whether they were because of fear, or embarrassment at having dropped into headspace for the second time that day, he had no clue.

"That's okay."

"Not okay, Hannie's scared too," he choked out, starting to cry.

"It's still okay. Just keep hugging me and the big scary storm will be over soon."

Minho put a hand on the back of Jisung's head. "Protect."

Jisung smiled against him in spite of his tears.

It took a couple of minutes for the thunder to die down and the rain to soften. Jisung gradually untangled himself from Minho's hold to dry his eyes.

"T'ank you," Minho whispered, leaning against a table leg. Jisung ran his thumbs along Minho's cheeks to wipe his tears.

"No problem. Is Minho sleepy?"

Minho nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Minho s'eepy. Wan' blankie."

"Go to my room and get in bed, I'll bring it for you." Minho toddled off.

Jisung went to grab Minho's blanket, finding Felix leaning against Changbin, holding his hand.

"Not a word." Changbin tried to look intimidating. He failed.

The room was being illuminated by moonlight instead of the nightlight, Jisung noticed. "Minho's sleeping with me tonight. Why is the light off?"

"We didn't want it to short circuit because of the lightning, so we unplugged it."

"Then we got scared."

"Felix," Changbin hissed. "Wait, you didn't call Lee Know hyung 'hyung'."

"Let's just say we hate thunderstorms." Jisung bundled up the cloth in his hands.

"Oh. I knew I heard someone crying. Tell him I send kisses."

"Will do. Goodnight lovebirds." Jisung promptly headed to his bed before they could object and wrapped himself and Minho in the blanket.

"Lix sends kisses." He practically heard Minho smile.

"Han-ah?"

Jisung hummed.

"Did the storm wake you?"

Regressed or not, Minho knew exactly how to word his questions to get an answer out of Jisung. He emphasized the 'wake' with slight concern.

"No, it didn't. I was still awake."

"Wanna talk?"

Jisung exhaled. "No thank you, it's nothing worth talking about. I had a lot on my mind, that's all."

"Okay." There was a short pause as Minho blindly reached for Jisung's hand and kissed it. "Ni' ni' Sungie."

Jisung propped himself up to look at Minho fondly. Bending over, he kissed Minho's stomach, eliciting a soft laugh from the dancer.

"Hannie, 'ickles."

He melted. "I wanted to give you night night kissies, baby. You're making me happy."

Minho placed (more like smacked) a hand on Jisung's face. "Okay. Hannie need syeep, go syeep. It's no' scary now."

"Fine, I'll sleep. Sweet dreams, angel."

"I can't believe Innie ditched me for his boyfriends, he left me all alone last night."

"It's not my fault Hyunjin hyung's a better cuddler than you, hyung."

Jisung gasped. "Take that back."

"Actually, you take him back to your room, please. He kicks." Seungmin added, spooning some ice cream into his mouth.

"I do not! You're the one who kicks!" Jeongin countered.

Hyunjin raised his voice over theirs. "If the three of you don't shut up so we can watch this movie in peace, I will pour hot sauce onto your ice cream and crush all the snacks into crumbs."

The threat seemed to work.

"If you crush all the snacks you can't enjoy them either. I suggest you steal them from the others."

Hyunjin jumped, falling off the couch. Everyone turned to see Minho standing directly behind them.

"Hyung, can't you make a normal entrance instead of giving me a heart attack?"

Minho smirked, moving to grab a can of soda from the fridge. "Nope. That's too boring."

He waited until everyone was distracted to tap Jisung's shoulder.

"Thanks for last night, and sorry for... you know."

"Hyung, please." Jisung cupped his hands to whisper into Minho's ear. "Little or not, your presence is comforting. Don't apologize for it. You helped me as much as I helped you, if not more."

Minho smiled. "We'll chat more later?"

"Definitely."

Once Minho was gone Seungmin piped up. "What secrets do you two have?"

"Oh, just some soulmate things."

Hyunjin hushed them sharply.


	10. Can't Extinguish This Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minho eating a Yan Yan in that Instagram video? My kind of content ^o^ I had to write that in, that snack was my childhood
> 
> Also I made the smallest reference to The Youngest's Private Life 11 because in that vlive Felix kept nomming I.N's hair 😢 why is my piece of the night sky so adorable
> 
> No one:
> 
> Me: *writes more hurt/comfort and a little going into headspace because of fear and distress*
> 
> Also me: *writes lots of scenes at night because I can and will*
> 
> Hi hello yes ik It's been 2 weeks since my last update, I'm still alive and well and I hope you cats are too :) I'll try to update more often so we can all enjoy something while at home, I've been shaping the plot of this for a while anyways~
> 
> Warnings: fire mention

"Come on hyung, just one teensy bite?"

Felix nudged Minho's shoulder with his nose, eyeing the Yan-Yan in his hands.

"Nope, get your own." Minho picked up a biscuit stick and dipped in in chocolate icing, offering it to Felix before chomping down on it with a sly grin.

Felix stuck his tongue out, then smiled when Minho pointed the cup towards him.

"Aw, you do care about me!" Felix grabbed a few sticks and helped himself to the chocolate dip.

"Now what kind of hyung would I be if-"

Minho got cut off by the extremely high-pitched, incessant beeping of the smoke detector, followed by a loud curse and a yell from somewhere in the dorm. He froze, noticing the faint scent of smoke in the air.

On the other hand, Felix stood up with shaky legs and wide eyes, his face crumpling into what Minho could only describe as pure terror. He sprinted out of the room.

Minho bit his lip and covered his ears, deciding to find out what was going on. He tossed out the empty snack cup and headed out. The commotion was coming from the kitchen entrance, where Jeongin was turned to Seungmin with his hands on his hips.

"There's no fire guys!" Jeongin yelled loud enough for everyone in the dorm to hear. "Someone left their food on the stove unattended and it started smoking."

Seungmin wrung his hands, blinking at the floor. "I thought Han was watching it."

Jisung walked by at that moment, with an exasperated "I was in the bathroom! You should keep an eye on your food, you were cooking alone."

"What's Chan hyung going to say when he hears you nearly literally burned the dorm down while he was gone?"

"Ji, it's a bunch of smoke, and I'm sorry, I should have been more careful."

"Guys..." Minho interrupted them. "Can you make the beeping stop?"

Seungmin nodded. "The alarm should shut off in another minute, I just covered the pot that was smoking. Once the fumes die down it should automatically shut off, otherwise I'll have to do it manually."

Minho turned away and headed back to the rooms, this time entering the smallest bedroom.

Jeongin shouted to be heard over the chirping of the alarm. "Hyung, I saw Yongbokie hyung run into his room. Should I check up on him?"

"Y-yeah. Good idea." Minho took a deep breath, sighing in relief as another pair of hands cupped his over his ears.

"You really hate loud noises." It was Jisung's voice.

Minho craned his neck to look at him. "I can't stand them," he agreed.

A piercing wail diverted everyone's attention, rivalling the alarm's volume.

Han pulled Minho onto a bed. "That sounds like-"

"Lix hyung?" Jeongin was already walking to the aforementioned member's room.

Felix was sobbing on the floor, with his head against his knees and hands pressed firmly over his ears to block out as much noise as possible. Between his legs and chest was his stuffed rabbit, and Jeongin could only hope none of its seams would break with how tightly Felix was curling up around it.

"Hyung," I.N raised his voice, moving towards him.

"J-Jeong-in-innie hyung," Felix choked out, eyes snapping open. He curled into himself further. "No fi'e?"

"No fire baby." Jeongin rubbed his back. "You shouldn't be all alone, why don't we go to my room?"

It would have been smooth sailing from there if Jeongin could pick Felix up off the floor, but it was too hard for the maknae to carry him at the hip. He frowned, knowing Felix was too preoccupied with the wails that shook his body to climb onto his back.

"I.N-ah! Come here for a minute, I need your help."

"Lixie, I'm getting Hannie hyung, okay? He'll come get you, and I'll be right back," he sighed, yelling for Jisung before rushing to whoever was calling for him.

"Oh happy cat." Jisung entered and scooped Felix into his arms in one swift motion. The little wrapped his legs around him, making it easier for him to take Felix to the other room.

"Whewe's Channie hyungie?"

"He's still outside with Binnie hyung and Hyunjin, sunshine." Jisung felt a pang of guilt when Felix shivered and whimpered into his neck.

Minho was at the other end of the room, his scrunched his eyes shut. "That alarm won't shut up," he grimaced.

Thankfully the persistent beeping subsided in the next few seconds, Jeongin returning soon after. 'Text Chan hyung', Jisung mouthed. Jeongin grabbed his phone.

Felix paused for a moment, then groped at the space around him, squirming in Han's arms as if he was looking for something.

"My bunny, whewe's my Cinnamon bun?"

A fresh wave of tears overcame him. "Wan' Chwissy! Wan' bunny!" He shrieked, unwilling to untangle himself from Jisung's side to let him move.

"Lix, please let me look for it, you must have dropped your bunny when I brought you here. Is there anyone else you could cuddle?"

Through blurry eyes Felix managed to pinpoint Minho, pointing to him with a stifled sob. In an instant he was in the older's lap.

"Shh Lix, just breathe." Minho soothed him, patting his back.

"Here, haengbokie." Jeongin handed him a few tissues, helping him dry his eyes and blow his nose.

Jisung rounded the corner with a bright smile, Felix's prized possession in his hands.

"Thank you." He pressed a sincere kiss to Han's cheek and nuzzled his stuffed animal, running a finger along the charred fur on one of the ears.

"We okie Cinnamon, we safe an' togefew, I'm safe, I'm safe." He mumbled repeatedly.

The others chose not to comment on why Felix was so frightened even after the smoke detector had turned off. That was a conversation for later.

"Lixie, kitty cat, why don't we do something fun while we wait for Channie hyung to return?" Jisung suggested, wrapping the little in Minho's fuzzy blanket. It seemed to stop his trembling.

"Like?" 

"Someone pull the curtains first."

When Changbin and Hyunjin entered the dorm they were greeted with the sight of Jisung teaching Felix to make shadow puppets against the light of his lamp in the otherwise dark room.

"We're making shadow puppies!" Minho shifted in Jeongin's hold to turn to the trio, speaking cutely.

"Shadow puppets, angel." Jeongin corrected.

"No, puppies, see?"

Minho made a vague silhouette of a dog's head on the wall, scissoring his fingers. "Bark bark! Okay okay, I'm done." He chuckled.

"You're silly, hyung."

"I know." Although he was in his adult headspace, Minho stayed in Jeongin's lap, grabbing the younger's arms and securing them around his waist when he started to pull away.

Felix made the shadow of his hand 'talk', making sounds to correspond to his movements. He proceeded to 'bite' Jisung's nose with his fingers. "Nom!" The September twins giggled.

"Where's Chan hyung?" Jeongin asked.

"He's coming in." Changbin replied, shrugging off his jacket as Hyunjin headed to his room.

"I'm home, kids!" Chan's voice echoed loudly.

Felix shot up and ran over to him, tossing the blanket on his shoulders aside. 

"Hyungie!" He yelled, running to his caregiver with tears streaming down his face. Chan let out a small 'oof' as he buried his face in Chan's chest.

"I missed you an' it was loud an' an' you wew' gone, and Seungminnie hyung was in the kitchen, then..." Chan could barely understand what was going on, but he had an upset little - _his_ upset little hugging him, so he instinctively wrapped his arms around Felix, holding him while Jeongin explained the situation.

"Yeah... it's my fault. Sorry hyung." Seungmin sheepishly peeked out from behind the maknae.

Chan murmured something lovingly to Felix before looking up. "One, never leave the stove unattended for more than ten seconds. Two, don't beat yourself up about it. It isn't the first time that alarm's been set off, I have tons of stories from my trainee days."

Seungmin visibly relaxed. "Okay." Then softly, "I'm sorry I scared you like that, Lix."

Felix hummed, reaching out to poke Seungmin as a nonverbal response.

Eventually he had to let go of Chan so the older could change into home clothes, and he returned to his spot beside Han. "Thanks fow takin' cawe of me." He made sure to look at everyone individually.

"Anytime, love. You want to keep making shadows?"

Felix shook his head, reaching for the baby blanket. "Do the squiwwel face!"

Jisung puffed out his cheeks. "Yay!" Felix fell over between peals of laughter as Jisung pursed his lips and kissed his cheek over and over again.

"Now sushi woll!" He held up the blanket, Minho grinning from the distance as Jisung bundled him up.

Jisung would do a backflip if it meant keeping the twinkle in his eyes bright.

Dinner was quick and bedtime came quicker, Felix wanting nothing more to curl up and sleep after being in headspace for so long. Luckily Minho went to bed earlier than the others, so he had no problem with taking Felix away for an early night, crawling in bed with him. Any inhibitions Felix had about the crinkling between his legs were thrown out the window, and he snuggled Minho in a koala hug as he drifted into what he hoped would be a long uninterrupted slumber.

If only.

Minho awakened first, cracking his eyes open when he felt the bed shake. Beside him Felix was tossing and turning with a pained expression.

Minho whispered, "Lix? You awake?" There was no response, but Felix curled in over himself, clutching his side with a nearly silent gasp. Something glistened on his cheek against the yellow light of the nightlight - Minho made it out to be a teardrop.

"Yongbok-ah wake up," he called out softly, slightly alarmed as another tear rolled off Felix's eyelashes. A muffled whine escaped the younger.

"Lix, Lixie please get up, Yongbokie, _love please_," he urged, pushing Felix's shoulder. His voice was loud enough to wake Changbin, but he wasn't worried about that.

Felix winced, then blinked, his face reddenning as he sat up.

"Hyung, I- what?”

“You scared me, you were crying in your sleep. You were having a nightmare, I think."

The younger was quiet, raising a hand to his cheek. It was wet.

"What's going on?" Changbin sounded extremely concerned, watching quietly from his bed.

"I had a nightmare, but it... was a real experience I had." Felix grasped his stuffed rabbit, painful memories flooding his mind. His eyes brimmed with tears again.

"There, uh, was a fire once- I mean I was in a fire once. I'm mostly over it, but fire alarms..." His breath hitched. Minho rubbed his thigh wordlessly, and he all but scrambled forward to hug Minho from the back so that he could hide his face against the older's neck. Changbin piled onto them soon after and by then Felix was crying loud enough to wake up the others.

"You are _not_ apologizing for having feelings," Minho said when Felix mumbled a watery 'sorry' and clenched the sheets tighter.

"Who's crying?" Chan stumbled into the room, and Minho was surprised he didn't trip as he ran over to them. He wasn't surprised, though, when the rest of the members came in and joined the dog pile, all seven of them smothering Felix with love.

They listened intently after he calmed down, placing his head on Chan's shoulder with a sigh.

"Back in Australia we had a house fire in the middle of the night. My parents and sisters got out fine, but I got trapped. I don't remember how, but there I was, flames barring me from the front door where everyone else had escaped out of. I got burned right here - I guess I fell on my side holding my bunny?" He revealed the scar on his hip, this time less abashedly.

"That's why part of her ear is scorched. I think someone got me out through the window, but all I remember is I had my eyes closed and wouldn't stop crying, I was terrified. I guess I still am, because the fire alarm reminded me of that experience, it really freaked me out today. That's probably why I had a nightmare of it."

"Oh Felix," Changbin murmured, squeezing his hand.

"I'm surprised you weren't younger than usual." Everyone turned to Jeongin. "What? I've done my research, sometimes being scared or worried that bad can send you further into headspace, right?"

"Right." Minho smiled, albeit with tight lips that didn't meet his eyes. Han gazed at him knowingly. "It's nice to know you guys are looking out for us."

"Hyung, cut it out." I.N swatted his hand away as he went to ruffle his hair.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going back to bed. Sleep tight, haengbokie." Jisung patted Felix's head, his way of saying 'thanks for opening up to us' without words. Hyunjin gave him a quick hug, while Seungmin gave him a tighter one, apologizing again for setting off the smoke detector.

"Seungminnie, it's fine, really. You didn't know I'd react like that, heck, I didn't know I'd regress." He stood up so the younger September boy could embrace him properly.

"Lix hyung, I'm going to bed."

Felix went up to Jeongin. "By the way, thanks for not leaving me on the floor or something."

"How heartless do you think I am?" Jeongin nudged him, squeaking when Felix playfully kissed his hair, pretending to eat it.

Seungmin followed him out the door, but not before telling Felix to 'clean up' before bed. Felix groaned.

"How does he always know when I'm..." He motioned to his lower body.

"That kid's as perceptive as a hawk, plus you waddle very slightly when you're, well, wet. Night." Hyunjin yawned, heading out the door.

"Night."

Changbin pulled Felix back into a bear hug. "I never want to see you crying in your sleep ever again."

Felix laughed weakly. "Considering I also get nightmares when I'm under too much stress..."

"Okay, that's it, we now have a mission to protect Felix from overworking himself."

"Bin, isn't that our mission for all the members?

"Shut up, Lee Know hyung."

While they engaged in their catfight Chan whisked Felix away to the bathroom. The younger tugged on the hem of his shirt, requesting to be babied for a while. That involved a lot of snuggles and kisses while Chan took care of changing him into a clean pull-up.

"Alright my sweet little ball of marshmallow fluff, back to bed. Do you want hyungie to sleep with you?"

"No, I have Min hyung." Felix gave Chan's hand a tight squeeze. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Lissy." They went their separate.

"You guys can go back to sleep now, I'll be fine."

"Promise you'll wake one of us up if you have another bad dream." Changbin reluctantly went back to his bed, but one big smile from Felix put him and Minho at ease.

Finally, he surrounded himself with Minho's scent, pressing his cheek against his chest. The older said not a word, merely humming with his fingers in Felix's locks.

"I get why you're always in I.N and Han's room now."

"They're good at it, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they're great caregivers."

"But Chan's the only one for you?"

Felix grinned, nuzzling Minho. He was getting sleepier by the second, unfiltered honesty leaving his lips. "He is, but I have you for when he's not around."

Minho's heart swelled with joy.

"Thank you," he laughed, though Felix was already fast asleep.


	11. A Sweet Little Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felix - a very smol and shy bub, gets excited easily, is quiet unless he's very comfortable, will tug on your clothes to grab your attention, an absolute angel who bothers no one
> 
> Minho - loud and rowdy, will run around the house, isn't afraid to be vocal about his needs or wants, whines but does as he's told, yells or gets in your face for attention
> 
> Hyunjin - shy about his regression needs but equally loud as Minho when having fun, pouty, needs lots of reassurance that he's doing okay, will hide his face (like Felix) when shy or reluctant to do something
> 
> All of them love cuddles and skinship, and get embarrassed or shy when too many people are watching them.
> 
> Thinking about them is fun :)
> 
> Now for all you lovely readers, here's a little something about Hyunjin. Enjoy!

The sun was shining, the sky was clear, Hyunjin had eaten a good brunch after a good night's sleep, it was quiet and peaceful enough for him to focus in the empty practice room he was in, the stars had basically aligned, in his eyes, for him to have a productive day.

Unfortunately his rap skills had chosen this exact day to go on vacation, leaving him to stutter out syllables in the wrong order with multiple rasps and cracks in his voice. After his fourteenth attempt to perfect the difficult, fast-paced rap that 3racha had worked hard on writing for him he sighed, deciding to take a break. He knew he could master it, the hyungs only ever gave the members parts they were capable of performing, but that day wasn't going to be today.

Hyunjin kicked his feet to move the swivel chair he was sitting in, smiling when he bumped into a nearby wall. He chewed on his lip before quickly slipping it out from between his teeth. Rapping on a raw and burning lip later on would not be ideal. On instinct he brought a finger to his lips, needing something to be tucked between his teeth. All of his fingernails were been bitten down, so he ended up softly chewing on the tip of his finger instead.

A quick glance at himself in the mirror had him chuckling. "I look like I'm sucking my thumb. I... could?"

The thought had occurred to him many times, although he'd never acted upon it. He turned away from his reflection, poking his thumb past his lips. The sensation was comforting, making the floaty feeling he associated with being little return, but after a while his mouth ached and it became a hassle to periodically swallow spit. He frowned, pulling his hand away.

"Maybe I'm meant to be older than that." The room whizzed by as he spun around in his seat slowly, cupping his face with hands buried in long sleeves. It felt nice.

Another sigh escaped him as he scooted back to his notebook, slowly and quietly repeating the words he already knew by heart in an attempt to avoid getting tongue-tied. At one point he slipped the edge of his sleeve into his mouth, latching onto it like it was a lollipop.

The door creaked open and Hyunjin looked over to see who it was. Thankfully it wasn't a manager or the company staff.

"Hi hyung." He turned back to his scrawled writing.

"Did you have lunch?"

Hyunjin shook his head. "I had brunch because I got up late, but I'll go home once I'm done here so I'll eat something then."

"Hyunjinnie, it's like six in the evening." Hyunjin looked towards the clock on the wall, coming face to face with Changbin hovering over his shoulder. "Are you chewing your sleeve?"

This time Hyunjin didn't panic and hide. He glanced as the fabric between his teeth before giving Changbin a small smile. "I hafta finish this rap."

"It can wait until tomorrow." Changbin handed him his notebook and pushed his chair over to where he had placed his bag, motioning for Hyunjin to grab his things. Which he did, immediately biting onto his sleeve once everything was in his lap.

"Is Jinnie feeling small?"

He spoke in the voice one would use to speak to a baby, and while it annoyed I.N to no end (Changbin could practically hear him saying 'hyung you're being weird' while shoving him aside) it succeeded in putting Hyunjin at ease.

Hyunjin tilted his head, nodding.

"We better get you home then."

He laughed as Changbin wheeled him around the room at a fast yet safe speed. "All aboard the Hyunjin express, the train leaves for the dorm in ten minutes!"

"Choo-choo!"

Changbin helped him lock up and before he knew it they were stepping into the dorm. The first sight that greeted them was Minho yelling and dashing around the furniture, being chased by a much quieter Felix. Han was watching them from behind a book, amused.

"Gotcha!" Felix caught up to Minho and pulled him into a back hug, teetering off an armrest until they both fell onto the couch.

"Oh hi Bin, hi Hyunjin." Minho playfully swatted Felix away to avoid a kiss on the cheek. The latter pecked his neck instead before jumping onto Changbin's back, pulling his beanie over his eyes.

"I'm gonna bump you into a wall." Changbin chanted. Felix squeaked, sliding off his back after fixing his hat.

Hyunjin shyly waved from behind Changbin.

"Oh, is Hyunjin...?" Han asked.

"Little? Yeah."

"So is Felix." He smiled and went back to reading.

Changbin urged the younger to let go of him. "Jinnie, I needs to put my things away."

Hyunjin shook his head.

"Jin-jin hyung shy?" He nodded to Felix, letting go of Changbin when the freckled boy took his hand.

"Dunno if m' hyung today."

"How old is he?" This time Minho asked Changbin.

"I don't know. Can you tell Minho hyung, Jinnie?"

Hyunjin held up four fingers. "That okay?"

"Yes it okie, I'm fouw too!" Felix exclaimed, noticing Hyunjin's sleeve was between his teeth. "Wan' a paci?"

"No thank you," Hyunjin answered, watching Felix nod before following Changbin to their shared room. His stomach growled.

"There's fried chicken on the table if you want some," Minho told him. Hyunjin eagerly took a seat at the table and grabbed a drumstick.

"We have a hungry little monster here, don't we?" Minho joined him.

"It's yummy."

He finished eating a few more pieces quickly and managed to wash his hands. Pouring himself a glass of water, however, proved to be more difficult. He struggled to lift the pitcher of water, hands shaking as he tilted it.

Minho took the pitcher from him. "Let hyung do that for you, you're too little to do that."

He handed him a full glass, holding the bottom as Hyunjin gulped the drink down.

"Thanks." Hyunjin's voice was softer this time.

Minho busied himself with putting the leftovers away as Felix returned, pulling Hyunjin away to sit with him on the floor of his room. Chan and Changbin were having a conversation, paying minimal attention to them.

"Hyungie got me paci clips, an' hewe's a special one." Felix handed Hyunjin a colourful beaded clip from a box.

"It's pretty." Hyunjin read the letter beads, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks as he deciphered the English word.

"It's chewy too! You can have it if you want." Felix reached for his pacifier amidst the clips.

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows slightly, squeezing one of the silicone beads. It was squishy.

"Try it! I dun li'e chewin' t'ings, but you do." Felix beamed behind his pacifier, a blue clip connecting it to his shirt. "It's clean."

Hyunjin reluctantly brought the teether up to his lips, shielding his lower face with his other hand even though his back was turned to the hyungs. The beads grazed against his teeth and he bit down lightly, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he quietly giggled.

"I like it." He wrapped the clip around his wrist and clasped it to make a makeshift bracelet.

"Jinnie, why don't we give you a bath and get you into something more comfortable?" Chan knelt down beside him. Hyunjin shook his head, biting his bracelet nervously.

Minho walked in to see Hyunjin pressed into Felix's side, Chan trying to coax him into taking a bath as patiently as possible. "Those clothes are tight, right?"

Hyunjin nodded against Felix's arm.

"But you won't let Channie hyung help you." He vehemently shook his head.

Changbin watched from afar, looking unsure.

Minho turned around and promptly fetched Jisung. "He'll probably listen to you," the older reasoned.

"Hyunjinnie," Jisung breathed, "Can you let me see your cute face?" That got Hyunjin to look up, easing his grip on Felix.

"Hi baby, why don't we go where no one's looking at you?"

Hyunjin nodded, lifting his arms. "Uppies?"

Jisung hoisted him up, steadying himself.

"How?" Changbin asked, incredulous.

Minho snorted. "He helped Hyunjin get comfortable last time."

The pair headed to an empty bedroom.

"So what's going on?"

"Binnie hyung wants'a give me a bath, bu' I don' wan' him to." The teether once again gravitated to between his teeth.

"I see." Jisung placed a tender hand on his wrist. "That's a pretty bracelet. You know what it says?"

"Sweet." He noted the way Hyunjin avoided eye contact with flushed cheeks.

"Perfect for a sweet little boy like you." He paused. "You like that sweetie?"

Hyunjin buried his face in his hands, unable to bite back a wide grin.

"Sweetie, sweetheart, sweet little sugar cube-" Jisung teased, being cut off by Hyunjin's finger. He quirked his lips to kiss it, making the little squeal.

"Alright sweets, we do have to give you a bath though, it'll feel clean and smell nice. Plus you get to play with bubbles."

"I can shower myself..." Hyunjin trailed off.

"I know you can, you're our big Hyunie."

Hyunjin positively melted into a puddle in Jisung's arms at the nickname.

"I know you haven't been given a bath while little yet, and if you really don't want to sit in the bathtub I could help you shower. You know you're feeling a bit young to be left on your own for a shower." Hyunjin pouted, but nodded in agreement. His pout deepened as Jisung piggybacked him into the bathroom, leaving only to retrieve a few onesies from Minho's closet.

"Pick one."

Hyunjin hovered over a snap-crotch onesie he hadn't worn. "Sung," he whispered, "We be alone later?"

"If that's what you want." Hyunjin clutched the outfit.

"Want."

Jisung put the other onesies away. "Ready to get squeaky clean?"

"Want bath." Hyunjin hugged his knees.

"Let's get you out of these clothes." He didn't question the sudden change of mind. Hyunjin let Jisung undress him as the tub filled, nodding with doe eyes when he was stripped down to his underwear - he lowered his head when he was set down in the foamy water, fully bare.

"Is this okay?"

Hyunjin shrugged, glancing at the pacifier clip on the counter.

"You can talk to me, Hyunie. You're being very shy, and I know you're littler right now, but there's something else too." He petted Hyunjin's hair.

"M' too big t'be this li'l." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Don' look li'l... too tall. See?"

He wiggled his toes, emphasizing how his feet stuck out of the tub when he stretched his legs.

It made sense. Why Hyunjin liked more babyish things in an older headspace, sat on the floor more often, hesitated to show skin while regressed - particularly his legs. His body didn't match his mental age, moreso than the other regressors, and he compensated for it by avoiding looking at himself and taking extra measures to feel small.

"You're not too big to be taken care of, you're perfect the way you are. Take a good look at yourself, long legs and all." Hyunjin did as he was told. Jisung soaped him up, fingers running along his thighs and legs. "No one thinks you're too big, and being taller than everyone is still okay."

"Okay." Hyunjin scooped up some bubbles. "What about uppies?"

Jisung furrowed his eyebrows. "Carrying you? It's not that hard, all of us can piggyback you." He saw Hyunjin's shoulders slump.

"But... you like being carried at the hip more."

A small nod.

"We can do that too, or at least try our best." He sprayed Hyunjin's face with water, turning the shower head to rinse him off. Hyunjin laughed, which was Han's intention.

"So... not too little right now?"

"Hyunjin, even if you were a baby you still wouldn't be too little. You sound like Minho hyung- and he's going to kill me for saying that." Jisung facepalmed. "I'll explain later when he's around."

Hyunjin leaned into Jisung's touch as he was dried off and dressed, cuddling him for a solid half hour afterwards with the bedroom door locked. Eventually Jisung brought Minho in, the three of them having a long conversation. By the end of it Hyunjin felt much lighter, swinging his feet off the bed with his head in Jisung's lap.

"So hyung," Jisung said, "When are you going to tell the others?"

"I've been giving it a lot of thought. Maybe tonight, we have a hectic schedule coming up in two days and I'd like to regress before that."

Jisung's eyes widened. "You'd be willing to do it tomorrow?"

Minho nodded, pinching Hyunjin's cheek. "Yeah. For now though... wanna colour with me and Lix, Jinnie?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on what's coming up?


	12. Younger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So SKZ Life episode 1 where Minho pulls Changbin hard on purpose, falls onto his butt and cries like a baby? Yeah, I just had to write that in. Also, a bunch of skz baby photos just dropped and I'm cooing ❤ Seungmin and his paci nooo😢 he said he had trouble getting weaned off it when he was younger and now I keep rereading my little Seungmin fic
> 
> I just realized for the past 3 chapters all the littles have been comforted by Jisung (I picture Jisung as being at the dorm more often than the others which is why it seems natural for him to always be around)
> 
> Thank you for all the guesses on the last chapter! I read every single comment on this fic, they all warm my heart and fill me with joy <3
> 
> Now onto the good stuff!

Chan gazed at the sleeping boy in the bed beneath his with a fond smile. He had been up for about ten minutes, long enough to brush his teeth and feel more awake.

Minho mumbled something nonsensical in his slumber, looking peaceful as ever. Waking him up could wait for a while, Chan decided, gathering a few items he knew Minho would need later on.

Telling everyone had been nerve-wracking, but Jisung held Minho's hand through it and Hyunjin shot him a reassuring smile, giving him the strength to blurt out everything he'd been contemplating for over a week, eyes squeezed shut and mouth running until he was finished with a marathon of words.

To sum it up, he wanted, or rather needed, a day in babyspace.

He had been feeling small more often, especially since the thunderstorm, and wanted to try being much younger to satisfy his little side - even regressing with Felix and Hyunjin earlier hadn't fulfilled his urge to regress, and he had failed to stay in headspace for longer than a handful of minutes.

The others reacted positively, for which he was extremely grateful, even if a few members weren't sure of how they could help out.

Daylight flooded into the room when Chan finally pulled the curtains, eliciting tired groans from his roommates. Most of them turned over to resume sleeping.

"Good morning kids."

Minho blinked at Chan through bleary eyes. "Hyung," he replied, rubbing his face into his pillow to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "I'm going to wash up."

Soon they were seated on Minho's bed, the younger fiddling with a loose thread after pulling the bed curtain for some privacy. There was only so much alone time he could have in a dorm full of nine people. Chan had a few items behind him, they would get to those later.

"I... might need some help."

"That's what I'm here for." Chan smiled. "What do you want to wear today? A onesie?"

Minho nodded.

"Okay pumpkin, any specific one?"

"I 'unno, you can pick."

Chan was proud of him for slipping without hesitation. "You can be as little as you want. Don't worry about anything." He left to retrieve a soft hooded cat onesie, returning to a pouty Minho.

"I can be a baby?"

The previous night Minho had mentioned why it took so long for him to accept he wanted to try babyspace - as a hyung, he felt like regressing that young would bother the younger members. Despite their protests he found himself unable to shake the notion out of his head.

"Of course, Minho. Everyone else wants to be the hyungs for today. Come here, let me get you a paci. I know they help you calm down."

Chan smiled fondly, patting his leg. Once Minho got into a comfortable position Chan presented him with his box of pacifiers, each clean and placed on a small towel.

"Which one do you want?" Minho pointed to the peach pacifier decorated with roses, giggling as Chan popped it into his mouth. "Your favourite, right?"

"Tannie 'yung 'mem-membews." Minho mumbled around his soother with slight difficulty, relaxing as Chan laid him down and held him at the hips.

"Now shh. You don't even need to talk if you don't want to."

Little sucking noises left Minho's mouth as he gazed up at the ceiling, or rather Chan's bunk, while Chan undressed him.

"Pull-up? Or diaper?" Minho blushed and held up two fingers, knowing Chan found both packages in his closet. He wanted to have options, hence the purchase of the thicker diapers instead of sticking to his just-in-case pack of pull-ups.

Chan didn't miss his lips curving upwards as his skin met soft padding. He kissed Minho's forehead once the onesie was on. "Okay angel, you're all set. Time for breakfast."

Minho held onto him sleepily, taking small steps with him to the kitchen. Chan fed him bites of food and cut up fruit while eating some himself, and was in the middle of filling Minho's sippy cup when Jisung shuffled in to rummage through the cupboards for some bread.

"Sung!" Minho squealed, bouncing in his seat.

"Hello Min-min." Jisung ruffled his hair, smiling brightly. "How are we doing this morning?"

Minho reached out to touch his cheek. "Mo'nin."

"We just ate. Isn't he cute? He seems to be around two." Chan held the sippy cup up to Minho's lips.

"He's adorable." Jisung yawned.

"Hannie s'eepy?" Minho mumbled, pausing for thought. "Innie as'eep? An' Lissy, an' Din'ie an'..." He listed all the members one by one.

"Why don't you finish your water, then we can check on everyone?" Chan suggested, chuckling as Minho gulped down his drink.

"Done!" Minho triumphantly set his sippy down, putting his hand in Chan's. They went from room to room, Minho making a few happy noises upon seeing some of the members out of bed, particularly Hyunjin, who gave him a tired wave, and Felix.

"Lissy!" He tottered over to Felix.

"Hey there bub." Felix had his arms full of soft, snuggly Minho. "You look like a kitten."

"I kitty?" Felix pulled Minho's hood over his eyes, making him giggle. "But Lissy my kitty."

"Hmm, what if we're both kitties? On other days I'm the kitten, but today you're the small kitten and I'll be the big cat."

"Yay!" Minho cheered, going past Chan to some other room.

"I thought you'd regress after seeing him in headspace," Chan mentioned.

"I don't feel small right now, I guess it's because I regressed yesterday, hyung."

Chan nodded, quickly following Minho to wherever he went. He found him standing in front of I.N and Han's shared room, mumbling something through a smile. Minho ran back to Chan before the older could make any connections. "Hyung, can I play?"

Minho settled on making towers with foam alphabet blocks, giggling when he knocked them over or they collapsed on their own. Somehow he managed to rope Changbin into the game later when most of the members were having breakfast.

After the fourth time his tower toppled over Minho grabbed a block, only this time he brought it to his mouth instead of placing it on the carpet.

"No, blockies don't go in your mouth. Here's your paci." Changbin gave him his pacifier, laughing when Minho gently tossed the block in his hand aside and it hit his stuffed dinosaur, causing the little to gasp.

"Dino huwt? No? Sowwy dino." Minho held the toy up to his ear, then put it in his lap before resuming his game.

"Your dino won't feel it, Min. He's a stuffed animal," Changbin told him.

"Dino say he otay, bu' Know-know teckin' a'yways."

"Oh? Know-know's such a good friend to his dino. But can you save him from this?" Changbin tickled him.

"Binnie!" Minho shouted, wriggling under his fingers. Tickles made him feel happy and much, much smaller.

"Hyungs, you didn't wake me up, I overslept." Jeongin walked in, rubbing a hand over his face, his hair sticking up in some places.

"You didn't oversleep, you were up late studying last night, Innie. We won't have a decent break to rest for a while, so I let you sleep in." Chan replied, setting a plate of food out for him.

"Dada, save me!" Minho exclaimed between shrieks, looking up at Jeongin. Changbin halted his movements, blinking once.

Jeongin shot a glance at the other members at the table, most of whom were frozen. Chan was enthralled, looking between Jeongin and Minho in wonder.

"M-me?"

Jeongin was shocked to say the least. He hadn't expected to be called a caregiver nickname, seeing as he was the youngest member. Certainly not by Minho, who had expressed no interest in having a caregiver, and had other, more competent caregiver options. The name gave him warm flutters, though, and he felt a wave of affection surge over him, moreso than what he felt for the other littles.

"Innie dada," Minho confirmed with a toothy grin that faltered at the clatter of Seungmin's spoon against the table. He pouted at the stunned silence, his eyes watering. "Innie... no' dada?"

"Aigo baby, if you want me to be dada then I'm dada." Jeongin padded over and hugged him, tiny fists grabbing his shirt. "Dada's here, don't cry angel baby."

Minho sniffed, nestling into his shoulder.

"I just witnessed something beautiful." Jisung broke the silence first. Hushed murmurs and stolen looks followed.

"Dada p'ay?"

Jeongin patted his head. "Dada has to eat, Minho. Then I can play. Until then, can you play with Binnie hyung?"

Minho sucked his pacifier slowly in thought. "Ea' fast."

"Super fast." Jeongin kissed his pout away, bounding off to fill his stomach and answer about thirty questions from the others.

Changbin eventually left Minho's side and he along with the rest of the members scattered in the dorm, save for Chan and Felix keeping Minho company while Jeongin ate.

Minho rubbed his cheek against Felix's, settling in his lap. Felix melted. "Someone's feeling cute."

"Hyung, how do I take care of him like you do for Lix hyung?"

Chan smiled reassuringly at Jeongin. "Be there for him, give him comfort items, play with him, help him change clothes, stuff like that."

"What if I mess up somehow?"

"Innie, listen to me." Jeongin craned his neck to face Felix. "You're allowed to make mistakes. We're all learning as we go. It's not easy to break a little's trust, at least not for me. I have lots of faith in my caregiver. Don't worry too much. If all else fails you can come to one of us for help."

He blushed at the sweet smile Chan directed at him.

"Lix, kissies?" Minho removed his paci to peck Felix's chin, receiving a bunch of kisses in return. Felix even kissed his stuffed dinosaur for good measure.

A loud crash came from the kitchen and Chan groaned, heading over to where Jeongin had presumably knocked over a pile of pans, from what it sounded like. Minho cried out at the noise.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm right here bubby." Felix tightened his protective hold, setting his chin on Minho's head. They stayed like that for some time, Felix relishing the moment. He rarely had a chance to care for the littles, being the youngest in headspace. For once he could take care of Minho instead of having it the other way around.

Minho squirmed slightly in his lap, pressing his knees together and rubbing a hand on his thigh. Felix caught on quickly.

"Do you have to go?"

Minho nodded.

"Want me to carry you to the bathroom?" He shook his head hesitantly, sucking his pacifier faster.

Felix shifted so Minho's back was against his chest, putting an arm around the little and a hand on his knees to still them, moving to the couch. "It's okay baby," he murmured. "I'm going to tell you a secret. You’ll keep it for me, won’t you?”

Minho made a noise, bobbing his head. "I’m still scared to tell anyone if I woke up dry or not in the mornings. I need my pull-ups kinda like how you need your diaper right now."

He continued. "You're an itty bitty baby right now, angel. I know it's scary, but don't hurt yourself by holding back on your needs and your headspace. No one will think any different of you, because that means they'd do the same for me."

He stroked Minho's hair, distracting him with his stuffed dinosaur and bouncing him on his knee. Minho frowned later, but Felix turned his whines into giggles, using two fingers to ‘walk’ all over Minho's arms and legs. Jeongin returned shortly, shaking water off his hands.

"Sorry for the wait, everyone left Chan hyung to do the dishes so I helped."

"Dada, wet." Minho's words slurred.

"Oh? I guess I'll take care of that. I’m pretty sure Chan hyung has some things for… this, he’s always prepared for anything."

Minho hummed in response, standing up to walk with Jeongin. Except he lost his balance and fell on his butt, letting out a cry.

"Aw baby, is walking too hard right now?" Jeongin crouched down and hugged him. "Hyung, can you go grab me the things I'll need and clear a room for us? I'll be there in a minute."

Felix nodded and left.

"Chan hyung!" Jeongin called out, sighing when the leader walked up to them, frowning at Minho's snivels.

"Yes?"

"Um, I'm not really good at picking people up off the floor, but I need to carry him to a room to change him."

Chan's expression softened. "Let's try this." He guided Minho's arms around Jeongin's neck, whispering to the little. Minho wrapped his legs around Jeongin, and Chan helped the younger stand up. It took a minute for him to steady himself, but he managed to walk with Minho at his hip. "Thanks hyung."

"Now go take care of your baby. Do you need any help?"

“Nah, if he trusts me like this then I’m okay with it.”

Jeongin sent a grateful smile to Felix as the boy held the bedroom door open, shutting it behind him as he left. He placed Minho down gently, taking the time to coo at him and kiss him while changing him into a fresh diaper. Minho gleefully babbled through it all, clearly comfortable with him.

"Dada, da da dada." He giggled, then squealed as Jeongin blew a raspberry on his stomach.

"Wanna watch p'incesses." Jeongin brought him back to the living room and set up a laptop, playing whatever Disney movie Minho picked - he happened to choose Tangled. Seungmin was loitering there as well, scrolling on his phone.

"Dada, mi'k?"

"You want milk?" Minho nodded. "What's the magic word?"

"P'ease!"

Jeongin retrieved some chocolate milk from the fridge, pausing at Minho's sippy cup.

"Does baby want a bottle?"

"Baba, baba dada!" Minho stood on his knees and made grabby hands from the back of the sofa, whining.

Jeongin filled his bottle and fitted the nipple, making sure the liquid could squeeze through the miniscule hole. "Here you go." He joined Minho on the couch, the little taking the bottle to feed himself.

About ten minutes later Jeongin realized Minho had no intention of releasing the sloth hold he had Jeongin in, lying on top of him while enjoying the movie. It was getting hot and sticky, and Jeongin couldn't shift around without disturbing the little.

"Dada, no more cuddle?" Minho seemed to notice his discomfort.

Jeongin sighed. He didn't want to disappoint Minho, but he couldn't say he enjoyed being pinned to the couch for longer than a few minutes.

"It otay." Minho smiled brightly before shrieking. "Din'ie! Hyunie-din'ie!"

A comical padding of footsteps ensued, as if Hyunjin was stumbling over as fast as he could. He swung around the couch to meet Minho's eyes. "What?"

Minho pointed to the laptop. "See p'incess, an' cuddles?"

Hyunjin's face lit up. "Gimme five minutes."

One teething bracelet and oversized shirt later Hyunjin took Jeongin's place, the maknae giving him a grateful smile before hopping into the shower.

Hyunjin held Minho in his arms, letting him finish his bottle without interruption, except for talking about the scenes they were watching and belting out song lyrics. By the end of the movie Minho's eyelids were drooping, and he curled up against Hyunjin.

"It's nap time, Minho." Hyunjin tenderly kissed Minho's hair and put his pacifier in his mouth. "Baby. I'll be a good hyung for you."

Hyunjin fell asleep onto him shortly after. (Seungmin took pictures for future reference. Definitely not because they looked adorable, nope.)

They were woken up later for lunch, changes and bath time, the two racing ducks in the water and throwing bubbles at each other. Minho stuck to Jeongin while Hyunjin made up a story and drew it out in coloured pencils, running around to show his masterpiece to anyone he could find. He came out of headspace after that, being piggybacked by Jisung to the dining table for dinner. Minho, on the other hand, got fed and put down to sleep by Jeongin, waking up big early in the morning, a few hours before the start of their jam-packed schedule.

"Of all people, why Jeongin?" Jisung wondered.

"Who knows? Lee Know hyung is an enigma." Felix mused.

"It's not like I need _him_, I could have picked anyone. Or no one." Minho shot a sideways glance at them, entering the room.

"But baby Know-know claimed him," Felix pointed out.

"With good reason." Minho said begrudgingly, lying on top of them.

"Do tell." Jisung propped himself up on his elbows, facing the older.

"I'm sure Innie likes being a mature hyung instead of the maknae for once. He's gentle, sweet, and responsible enough to get help when he's not sure of what to do. Lying down on him feels nice. He speaks with a soft voice too, it's like honey. I like that when I'm little."

"When did you become a sap- ow!"

"You wanna be any louder, Han?"

Felix laughed. "Hyung, turn around."

"Let me guess," Minho groaned, whipping his head around.

Jeongin stood by the door, standing completely still, cheeks dusted pink. He smiled and walked past the room, leaving Minho a blushing mess while the September twins fell over in fits of laughter.

"You like being called angel baby too, don't you?" Seungmin poked his head in the room.

"It's kind of like how I call Felix happy cat." Jisung nudged Felix.

"Please get out." Seungmin dodged the pillow Minho chucked at him and laughed. "You're turning pink."

"Fine. I love it." Minho muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes as everyone squealed. They piled on top of him to tease him, but if Minho secretly basked in their giddy smiles and the acceptance of his babyspace, no one had to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled to write this which is why it took so long, but hopefully it turned out okay. Please leave a comment if you can, I want to know what you cats think :) it's 4am right now, and to all my Muslim cats, have a good last 10 days of Ramadan. You can do it!


	13. When a Caregiver Regresses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I jumped on the bandwagon with this one, huh. You'll see why.
> 
> Warnings: detailed descriptions of an anxiety attack and sensory overload, read with caution.
> 
> Note - I've never personally experienced sensory overload before, so if there are any mistakes in my writing please correct me and I'll fix them immediately.

He felt suffocated. No amount of air seemed to fill his lungs, yet he tried, taking frantic, heavy breaths in a futile attempt to clear his clouded mind and brush off his dizziness. Blood pumped loudly in his ears, nearly drowning out the mess of voices from beyond the stage.

There were too many people out there, too many eyes would be on him, his voice, his moves, his flaws, he should've eaten much earlier than he did because he was definitely feeling nauseous-

"Han, you okay?"

He glanced up towards Chan's voice, taking a step back. His face expressed all that needed to be said. Still, he breathed out a shaky "hyung" and stepped back again, as if he could walk away from what he was feeling.

The leader knew what was going on without having to be told, but he always asked Jisung anyways. This wasn't the first time he had dealt with anxiety before a performance, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Not yet, but they'd get there someday.

"We've done this before, yeah?" Chan took Jisung's shaking hands in his. "It's one performance. You've practiced it enough to do just fine. The stage is up high, and all you have to do is look at the camera. Breathe for me, Hannie, deep breaths."

He scrunched his eyes shut, easing when his body met Chan's in an embrace.

"We'll go home as soon as we're done, I promise. Our schedule's more relaxed after today. I know you can handle one more stage." Chan patted his back and pulled away; his breathing was slow and even again.

"Everything alright?" Minho shot a quick glance at them from a ways ahead, fiddling with his mic. The other members were already being ushered out. It was time.

Jisung nodded, passion and determination taking over him as they headed up onto the platform, got into positions and made the stage their own.

All too soon he was backstage taking off his mic pack and in-ears, the adrenaline that had been coursing through his veins wearing off in an instant.

"Chan hyung," he mumbled.

The leader nodded. "Alright guys, time to split up. Show of hands, who wants to leave first with me and Han?"

Minho and Hyunjin raised their hands. "Then it's settled."

In the car Chan sent Jisung a worried look. The boy was staring at his hands folded in his lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm in a rush, moving too fast," he replied quietly.

Rushing. He'd been rushing all day, from the dorm to a photoshoot, then even faster to the comeback stage building. He and Hyunjin ended up almost coming late, in some last-minute car trouble that ended with most members squeezing into one car while the two of them took another company car that got stuck in traffic. The incident set off his anxiety, which only heightened when he was getting his makeup done and his mind was racing with thoughts.

He was rushing on stage, off stage, rushing to get home, always in a hurry because his mind couldn't seem to slow down. He buried his thoughts in the back of his head, choosing to numbly stare at his fingers. He could dwell on them later, when he wasn't in a car pretending the knot in his stomach was smaller than it felt.

They were home, finally, after an agonizing amount of time Jisung couldn't be bothered to keep track of. He kicked off his shoes and made a beeline for his room when a small tug on his wrist stopped him, mere inches away from the door.

"Sung?"

Hyunjin was already in pajamas, pacifier clip-teether around his wrist, Jisung noticed. Didn't they just get home? Or did he space out after taking off his shoes? He honestly couldn't remember, he was in a daze.

"Hey Hyunie, you feeling little?" He mustered up the strength to smile.

Hyunjin nodded. "You okay?" Jisung wanted to cry at the genuine concern in his eyes.

"I'm gonna take a nap." The door closed behind him before Hyunjin could respond, leaving the little outside. He frowned, but shrugged it off.

Jisung didn't even try to change out of his stage outfit, collapsing onto his bed. But no matter how exhausted he was, how limp his body felt, he couldn't fall asleep. "Stupid anxiety," he muttered, turning to his side. No position could relieve the way his stomach knotted up as thoughts filled his head and brought tears to his eyes.

If thoughts could be heard out loud then his were yelling, screaming, shouting, starting a fire in him that the tears falling from his eyes could not put out. Then came the high-pitched ringing. He was drowning in air again, unable to breathe properly.

He widened his eyes when the outside world crashed against his eardrums, every sound amplified tenfold. Footsteps, voices, people were yelling at each other, or was it normal conversation? The wall clock, the click of the doorknob - the doorknob? Someone was entering the room.

On top of all these new problems - Jisung swore his worst attack had only been shaky hands and heavy breaths before this very moment - another more pressing one arose. Literally, his clothes suddenly felt too tight against his skin, discomfort shooting through the roof. It itched everywhere, making him feel worse, sicker, his skin crawling. But he couldn't move, how could he? He could barely breathe as is.

"Oh my gosh Jisung." A pair of socked feet appeared at the door, followed by others. He had no energy to lift his head and put a face to the voice.

He winced at the volume and curled into himself further, clasping his hands over his ears. "Too loud," he choked out, hoping he was loud enough to be heard. He couldn't hear himself anymore, his voice blending into the mess of white noise.

"Too loud?" They heard him.

"Too loud, too much," he gasped, "Clothes itch, c-can't breathe."

"Ji?" Another voice, distinctly Hyunjin's. It was closer, softer. "Ji, you're crying too hard."

"M-make it better." Jisung closed his fist around a tissue and brought it to his face.

"Sit up? Gotta get you comfy."

Jisung obliged. Hyunjin's whispers gave him something to focus on, and he could already breathe easier. He wiped his face as Hyunjin put two fingers on his hand. "Gonna touch, okay? Just for the icky clothes to come off."

Jisung hummed, letting him pull off his belt and tug at his shirt. Hyunjin was fumbling with the buttons clumsily, a telltale sign of still being in headspace, but he was gentle and soothing.

"Want Chan hyung."

"Channie hyung? He's... busy with Lix." He followed Hyunjin's gaze as he turned his head, realizing most of everyone was still by the door. They startled when Jisung made a small noise and pushed himself backwards.

"Scary... too many."

"I need help, Ji, how many people is too many?"

Jisung bit his lip, fixating his gaze on Minho at the door.

"This many?" Hyunjin held up four fingers. Jisung nodded.

He put a finger down. A nod. He put another finger down. "Two is okay. Quickly, please," Jisung pleaded, weakly pulling at his clothes in agitation.

"Lee Know hyung!" Hyunjin whisper-yelled. Said member took initiative.

"Everyone out, don't come back for at least half an hour. Someone get Chan hyung, he was here a minute ago, wasn't he?" He disappeared with them, returning in the blink of an eye with his pink and yellow blanket. "Hey Sung, sorry I didn't come in sooner. I didn't want to overwhelm you. I'm gonna undress you, okay?"

"Quickly," Jisung mumbled, tired and dizzy as ever. Minho took Hyunjin's place, pulling Jisung's shirt over his head in one swift movement. "Can you count your fingers as they come out of your sleeves?"

Jisung counted to five slowly when one hand was freed of his sleeve, and again when the other popped out.

"Good job, Sungie. Now do the same for your toesies?" Minho requested, already halfway done with working the tight leather pants off his skin. With how tense Jisung was, Minho felt the need to be overly kind and gentle with him.

"Sung, can I kiss you better?" Jisung finished counting to ten and chuckled at Hyunjin's words, humming an affirmation. He giggled softly as Hyunjin pecked his cheek.

"Feel better?" Minho wrapped him snugly in the blanket, the texture much more appealing against his skin.

Jisung took a minute to look around, the fog in his head finally clearing up. He could breathe, he wasn't crying or shaking, his brain didn't have twenty tabs blaring at full volume. Counting kept him calm and focused, he found, he'd thank Minho for that later. His ears were still sensitive to sound though, and he felt numb. He blinked, looking at his cocooned body, unclothed apart from his underwear.

"Want Chan..." The 'hyung' got lost in his breath and he pulled his knees to his chest, slightly conscious of his figure.

"I'll get him." Minho got up, poking into where the leader was with Felix and jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "Hyung, Jisung, sensory overload, feeling young, needs you."

"Just go." Felix shook his head.

Minho all but pushed an indecisive Chan to the other room before replacing him to deal with Felix. He was willing to be patient past Felix's tight lips and refusal to turn around, but Jisung needed Chan _right now_.

Chan had expected at least one of the littles to regress by the end of the week, the long days taking a toll on everyone. He knew Hyunjin would, the whole car-trouble-running-late ordeal stressed him out as much as it did Han.

He wasn't expecting Jisung.

Jisung, swaddled in a baby blanket, mouthing along to Hyunjin singing a song, seeming much calmer but with puffy red eyes. Jisung, who was nestling the blanket around him like it was the softest thing he'd ever felt. He looked smaller than he did when Chan had seen him from behind the members, right before Felix rushed into his room seeming... upset? Frustrated? He could figure that out later.

"Hyung's here," he said, moving to Han. The younger hummed. Hyunjin left his side to sit by the door, giving them some space.

"You do know you're in some sort of younger headspace, right?" Chan murmured, petting his head.

Han nodded weakly, his voice small and scared as he spoke. "I feel tiny, like the world's too big and scary right now."

Chan caressed his cheek. "Is it okay if we treat you like you're little?"

Jisung was quick to nod again. "How old are you feeling?" He traced mindless shapes on the sheets.

"I dunno..." He furrowed his eyebrows and bit his bottom lip, easing slightly as Chan cupped his other cheek.

"That's okay, you can be whatever age you want."

Jisung glanced up at Hyunjin, who was still sitting by the door watching him and Chan from afar. "Hyunie, snuggle?"

Hyunjin rushed over in an instant amd hugged him with care, as if he were made of thin glass. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Hyunjin squished his cheek against Han's. "Whatcha wanna do?"

"Cuddle... and maybe have a paci?" He sounded unsure, pulling away from Hyunjin to bury his face in Chan's shoulder in embarrassment.

"Okay baby, we'll get you a paci." Chan cooed, pulling him into a hug. Hyunjin was already on the case, bounding off to another room.

It was just Chan and Jisung now. The younger swayed in exhaustion, so Chan lowered them both until they were lying down. Jisung sighed against him and closed his eyes, moving the edge of the blanket aside to clutch his shirt. He didn't look up from Chan's chest when the bed dipped down again, only opening his mouth in anticipation of a soother. He mumbled a single question before latching on. "Kissies?"

"You want kissies?" Chan peppered every inch of his face with smooches. Hyunjin leaned over too, kissing Jisung's forehead sloppily.

"Tay p'ease."

Minho joined them a handful of minutes later, mumbling something to Chan about Felix being asleep before taking his place. Jisung didn't mind the leader leaving, he was already half asleep against Hyunjin, who periodically kissed his cheek and held him tenderly.

"Sungie, Minho hyung's here." Hyunjin nudged him. Jisung simply hummed. His eyes snapped open in the middle of a long kiss from Minho placed directly on the pacifier button. If an exclamation mark was a noise then Jisung made it in the back of his throat.

"You like that?" Minho smiled.

Jisung noticed which pacifier he was sucking on. The plain baby blue one that started it all. "Li'e."

Being drained of energy finally caught up to him. He fell asleep sandwiched between Minho and Hyunjin, with eyes full of love on him and both pairs of arms around him. Jisung loved kisses, Hyunjin loved giving kisses, and Minho? He loved being there for Jisung.

Later, when Jisung caught a private moment with Chan he made a difficult confession.

"I think I need a break. I've been too anxious recently, and it's getting harder to overcome it. I know we have a couple of public gatherings, fansigns and performances left and I'm trying, I'm trying so hard, but..."

He hadn't realized he had been shaking again until Chan rested a hand on his shoulder. "We know. It's tiring to keep it all in. You come first, remember that. We'll talk to the company, work around any schedules and see what you can sit out of. Don't worry about anything else, just focus on yourself."

"I'm sorry hyung. I'm... why am I so passionate about something that gives me a hard time? I'm a walking paradox, and now I'm going to affect the team right when we're almost done the perfect comeback-"

"I'm proud of you," Chan cut in.

"What?"

"I'm so proud of you. You're so brave, keeping your cool and being strong in the face of anxiety to do what you love. It takes guts to admit you need some time, some help. We'll be here for you through it all."

Jisung sniffed, headbutting Chan's chest lightly.

"Thank you."

Chan chose not to comment on his tears, merely hugging him close and stroking his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? :3


	14. Coffee Dates and Bad Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey cats ^._.^/ I love you <3 be kind to yourself :)
> 
> Hoo boy did I change the plot of this draft a bunch of times, it was hard deciding how to continue from the last chapter

"If you so much as bring up the other day, I'm pouring salt in your coffee."

Minho smiled sweetly and took a sip of his drink. "Fair enough, but I get to ask one question."

Jisung groaned. "What is it?"

"Have you spoken to Hyunjin about your whole... dynamic?"

The long drawn-out sip he took was enough of an answer for Minho.

"Have you talked to Innie?"

Minho pointed his gaze at the swirls of foam in his cup in an instant, his smile becoming smaller and shyer. "No. I should have seen that coming."

"Aww hyung, are you flustered?" Jisung leaned closer, making Minho more aware of his eyes on him.

"Han-ah, quit looking at me like that or _I'll_ pour salt in your coffee," he retorted with the same threat.

"Cute."

"So were you, that day."

Jisung whined into his hands. "Can we go for a walk now?"

Minho pushed his chair back and took his hand. He made it a point to keep Jisung from wallowing in his thoughts all day, especially since he was alone in the dorm while the others left for scheduled public appearances. Although Jisung was grateful for the break, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

Hyunjin was helping immensely just by existing around him, it seemed. While regressed he'd draw Han pictures and distract him with cartoons, other times he'd talk to him about his day, what he wanted to do in or out of headspace, and of course he was wrapped around Jisung most of the time, reminding him that he was loved.

Still, this morning when Minho found him upside down in bed staring at the ceiling he decided to get the boy out of his head, and the dorm. He got Jisung to agree to go for a walk and have an impromptu coffee date, promising him that they would avoid large crowds.

They stepped out of the café to feel crisp wintry air against their faces, slicing their ears and cheeks. Minho switched to holding his coffee with his left hand so they could intertwine fingers as they walked.

"Hyung? Promise me you won't make fun of me for what I'm going to say." He sounded serious. Minho solemnly nodded.

"I would never."

"The other day, I don't know if it was a one-time thing or not but, is it acceptable to like regression things without regressing? When I feel too overwhelmed I find myself thinking of, I don't know, hugging a stuffed animal, or..."

"Or?" Minho ran his thumb along Jisung's knuckles.

Jisung didn't continue. He sighed into his cup as the warm coffee hit his lips, steam fogging up his wire-rimmed glasses. His plump, flushed cheeks contrasted his grey hood pulled just too far over his head, a mess of hair caught in it. Minho pushed his bangs out of his eyes for him.

"You know, Hannie, age regression doesn't have to be a full-fledged thing. Everyone has those thoughts, it's normal. I'd say it's human nature. You don't need to be in a child's mindset to enjoy those things." He nodded to emphasize his statement.

"I probably think about those things more than the average person, but I don't think I'm a regressor- I like being a caregiver." He stopped walking.

Minho hummed. "Do you think you're an age dreamer?" Jisung looked at him with confusion written all over his face, prompting him to continue.

"It's an umbrella term for those who don't want the regressor label, for when you can't fully regress, or for people who like childish things in general. For comfort, for fun, whatever it is, I think it's like you long for the comfort you got in your childhood? It's sort of a grey area to me," he admitted. "I have to look into it, but that's what I know so far."

Jisung listened intently throughout Minho's explanation. "I think that fits," he murmurmed, walking again.

"Think about it." Minho stole another glance at him.

"The thing you did that made me feel really happy and small, I was gonna say that. When I'm too overwhelmed I think about that." His eyes met Minho's earthy ones.

"The pacifier kiss? I've always wanted someone to do that to me. It's cute and intimate." He smirked, "You wanna do it now?"

Jisung laughed, pushing away his overly pursed lips. "And get your spit all over me? Gross."

Minho cracked a smile. "There's that laugh I love to hear. No, seriously, I have a paci and mask in my pockets."

Jisung shook his head. "Not in public, I'm not that confident."

And that was that.

They headed back to the dorm, being greeted by an excited Hyunjin after discarding their empty cups. "Ji look at what I did! I drew my dream for you because you were in my dream!"

"Was it a nice dream?" He fell into his role easily, hugging Hyunjin. The little nodded.

"Hyunjinnie, did you greet Minho hyung?" Jeongin came up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Morning hyung." He smiled brightly. Minho mirrored him, tousling his hair.

"Hey Jinnie, is Hannie your main caregiver?" He bit back a laugh as Han turned to him with wide eyes. Jeongin let out a muffled snicker.

"Yep! Now come," Hyunjin replied without missing a beat, cheery as ever. He moved back to his mess of crayons, pencils and paper on the floor, dragging Jisung with him.

"I can't believe you hyung." Jeongin shook his head.

"Well now I confirmed it."

"What about us?"

Minho feigned disinterest. "What about us, Innie?" The maknae scoffed with an open-mouthed smile.

"When you're not in babyspace, should I still stick around?" He chuckled as Minho avoided eye contact.

"You? I'm not sure. I don't really need anyone when I'm feeling older." They sat down on the sofa.

"Do you _want_ anyone though?"

There was a long pause. "What do _you_ want, Innie?" Minho bit his lip and fished around in his pockets, grasping onto the plastic handle of his soother.

"When you're little I want to take care of you to the best of my ability. The urge to protect you amplifies so much I wonder if it's normal to think like that, specifically because you're my hyung and you baby me a lot. It drives me crazy sometimes, because I don't know when it's okay for me to act on that urge, that feeling..." he trailed off, racking his brain for the right word.

"That headspace," Minho filled in. His voice wavered in disbelief. "You have a caregiver headspace for me."

"Is that too weird?"

A shorter pause this time. "It's weird a normal amount."

"What? That- you're being weird!"

"Exactly." Minho winked. Jeongin rolled his eyes, but seemed to accept his answer, gasping as Minho wrapped his arms around him.

"Hyung, that tickles!" He writhed in Minho's grasp, the older not relenting.

"Innie can stay with me whenever he wants," he said cutely, teasing the maknae by moving to kiss his cheek. Of course Jeongin leaned away, causing both of them to fall over.

"How's playtime with dada going?" Jisung laughed from across the room. Before either of them could react Hyunjin smacked Jisung's head lightly with a crayon.

"No teasing Min hyung, Ji."

"Be careful with my crayons!" Minho shouted.

"A little teasing's okay if you're close." Jisung turned to Hyunjin, listening to Minho and I.N's laughter. The older stuck his tongue out at Jisung from where he lay.

All four of them startled at the cry that came from one of the rooms.

"Is that Felix hyung, again?" The maknae could recognize his sobs. "Oh no."

"I'll go." Minho was already sprinting to the source of the sound, finding Felix crying in Seungmin's arms. What alarmed Minho more was Seungmin also had dried tear tracks on his cheeks; he'd been crying too.

"What's wrong?" He sat down in front of them.

"Here hyung, just read these." Seungmin handed his phone to Minho.

Seungmin had finished breakfast and was in his room when Hyunjin came skipping up to him. "Minnie, have you seen Ji? Or Chan hyung?"

He looked up from his phone. "Jisung's out with Minho hyung, and I think Chan hyung and Changbin hyung are working on something at the studio?"

Hyunjin nodded and skipped away, his voice exclaiming "Inin!" from the hallway before dying down as he went further away from the room.

Seungmin sighed, feeling tears on their way up his throat again. Why was he so emotional about this? Hyunjin regressed, asked him where the older main caregivers were, and left. No big deal. He shuffled through his belongings and found the small box he was searching for, taking a seat by the wall to go through its contents.

It was full of things from other members. Sticky notes from Minho that were scattered around the dorm on occasion, letters from Chan and a few others, a text message or two that he'd printed out (and would never admit to crying over on hard days). He picked up the top sheet of paper and unfolded it, knowing exactly what it was. A messy, scribbled drawing that was supposed to be of him blowing bubbles in a flower field, with a puppy beside him.

Felix had drawn that for him on a good day, handing it to him with a small smile and the words "I hope this makes you happy today, and on sad days". It was the only thing Seungmin had received from one of the littles while they were, well, little, and the mere thought of it had him laughing dryly. He wasn't jealous, no, with five boys to care for three regressors there were too many members to be with them at once, and they already settled on their main caregivers. But...

"Seungminnie?"

As fate would have it, none other than Felix stood by the door, airpods in and fingers fiddling with his phone. "You okay?"

He realized he was crying already, and quickly swiped the tears away. Inward pointing feet, fidgeting, soft words, if Felix wasn't already halfway into headspace then he was trying to get there. Seungmin had observed the littles enough to know their tells and needs.

"Yeah, just having a bad day."

Felix pouted. "Same." Even from afar Seungmin could see the dark circles under his eyes and troubled look in them.

"You want to talk about it?" He gestured for Felix to join him when the dancer's eyes laid on the paper in his hands, and sighed internally as Felix sat down beside him.

"I wanna talk, I really do, but it's difficult."

Seungmin proposed a solution, reaching for his phone and tapping on Felix's. "If you can't talk, type, baby."

Felix nodded, tapping his screen quickly. A few moments later Seungmin's notifications went off.

_ **Private chat: Felix** _

_Um_

_No nicknames right now_

_I'm in a weird fuzzy place in my head_

_Oh okay Lix_

_You haven't regressed in ages though, I _ _thought it'd help_

_About that_

_It's been a while_

_I can't get there on my own anymore, but I don't want to ask for help_

_Don't wanna bother anyone or take up their time_

_ It's okay if you do_

_We'd never feel _ _bothered_

_It's been a hard couple of weeks for all of us_

_I have to apologize to Hannie_

_Why_

_Well he's had a hard week full of anxiety, I get that_

_Chan hyung noticed that immediately and has been there for him all this time_

_I'm glad, but the day he regressed I just couldn't handle it_

_You ever feel left out?_

_Seungmin wait_

_No I'm _ _sorry_

_Please don't cry I'm sorry_

_I don't want you to feel bad because of me_

_It's not that bad_

_It's not that Lix_

_Keep going, I'll explain why I'm crying in a _ _bit_

_Talk to me first, I need it_

_I don't want to feel this way_

_I'm trying to be good_

_so so good, but he doesnt see it_

_no one really sees it_

Seungmin rubbed his eye against his sleeve, craning his neck just enough to look at Felix. His lip was tucked between his teeth, eyes distant as he thought deeply.

_been keeping myself busy like everyone else has_

_being productive, productive is good_

_wasting time is bad_

_havent let myself be little cuz of that_

_havent slept with a paci in ages, havent been tucked in by hyungie_

_but issokay, hes busy_

_at least i get cuddles with Minho hyung, but not as often anymore_

_Is that why you haven't been sleeping well? Don't think I haven't noticed_

_it's okay, at least they get sleep, they deserve it more_

_i dont wake them up anymore, i get up myself and deal with things myself_

_like a good big boy should_

_i havent had an accident in weeks cuz ive been getting up twice a night to avoid that_

_being tired is better than being a clingy baby_

_Is it though? Lix, that doesn't sound very healthy. You should be resting well_

_How have you gone from regressing twice a week to resisting it for 5 weeks_

_wow Seungminnie hehe you kept count_

_That's not very good for you, haengbokie_

_it's getting so tiring_

_i was honestly thinking of finding hyungie and asking him to talk me down_

_but guess where he is :(_

_hey minnie why do you have my drawing with you rn_

_Remember how I said I was having a bad day too_

_This is the only thing I've gotten from you littles_

_Ever_

_No one really thinks of me or comes to me_

_I'm always right here, wanting to help out, but there's always someone else there to fill in empty spaces_

_Name one time I've cared for any of you three, buying Minho hyung a dino doesn't count_

_I feel forgotten, Lix. Just like you do for your hyungie_

_No one means it, but sometimes we feel that way anyways. It's not always there for me, just when you guys are little_

_I just want to know if I'll be a good cg, you know how I like having people younger than me around_

_Lix? You're shaking a little_

_i gon draw you a thousamd things npw_

_btw you can use nicknames now_

_typings gettin harder_

_can you take care of me right now_

_is that okie_

_think m slippinf_

_That's more than okay, baby_

Felix leaned onto Seungmin's shoulder. "I'm fus- frut- mad at m'self for being 'set when hyungie went for Ji, 'cause I miss him so much. I'm sorry for forgetting you too, Minnie."

"It's alright, bub, you're here now. You've been so good."

Felix shook his head. "Feel bad, then I feel bad about feeling bad... and I'm scared."

"Scared?" Seungmin echoed, fingers ghosting over his cheeks.

"I don't wanna be little all at once because I... I don't know what I want."

"That's okay. If it's too scary, why don't we just take it step by step?" Felix tilted his head.

"We can start small and cuddle," he suggested. Felix seemed to be fighting with himself, his eyes turning red.

"Sunshine, you can cry. You're allowed to be sad. You won't be bad for it. Can you give your Seungminnie hyung some cuddles? He really needs it, 'cause he's sad too. Cuddles make the bad days better." He rubbed Felix's arm and kissed his head, sighing when the little gave in and inched closer with quiet sniffs.

"Such a good boy." He was speaking in English now, taking Felix's phone and earphones away before guiding his head to lie on his own chest.

"Miss hyungie," Felix whimpered, then he was letting his emotions run loose, sobbing into Seungmin's sweater, not that the other cared. He simply grabbed the nearby box of tissues and brought it closer before tucking his fingers in Felix's hair.

"That's it, you've been so good and strong for us for so long."

Minho rushed in when Felix's cries became louder. "What's wrong?"

"Here hyung, just read these." Seungmin handed his phone to the older and wrapped himself around Felix. "Maybe text Chan hyung."

"I'll do you one better." Minho passed the phone to Jeongin and Han behind him before grabbing his own. He dialed Chan's number and paced back and forth.

"Cat," Felix whined. He lifted an arm towards Minho. "Want cat and Seungseung."

"I'm here, kitten." Minho sat down, grumbling to himself when Chan didn't pick up. He sent a quick text and hugged Felix and Seungmin together. "I'm so sorry kitten, how do I make it up to you?"

"Stay wif me an' Seungseung." He didn't need to be told twice, only removing one arm from them to procure his pocketed pacifier and place it in Felix's mouth. The little mumbled something that vaguely sounded like a thanks, burying himself further into Seungmin.


	15. When It Gets a Little Too Much...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone ask for a little more angst and some baby Lix? No? Well then *sweats*
> 
> English dialogue is in italics and the rest is in Korean, I think you'll know when the languages switch.

Seungmin ran a gentle finger under Felix's eyes, pulling his hand away from where he was scratching his cheek. He was done crying, letting out the occasional sniff. Minho was busy carrying Hyunjin around the dorm after having tidied up, while Jeongin got dressed for his upcoming lessons. Han would leave for the company with Hyunjin later.

"Come on haengbokie, let's go wash our faces." He lifted Felix up bridal style, pausing to let him return the pacifier in his mouth to Minho. He washed Felix's face first before tackling the dried tears on his own face, laughing when Felix flicked water on him. He took his hand and walked around aimlessly for a bit to help him calm down.

But the front door unlocked and Chan walked in, reminding Seungmin that sudden calmness came before a storm.

"Chwissy's back!" Felix ran up to him with a gasp, stopping as Chan held an arm out to distance them.

"Hold on, I'm not in clean clothes. I'm going to leave again in just a sec, now where did I put my... aha!" He walked past Felix to pick up one of his bags that were left in a corner. "Thought I had this in the studio."

"Channie hyungie, stay please?" Felix ignored his previous statement, this time kneeling on the floor to hug the leader's legs.

"Sorry Lix, I gotta go."

"Why?"

"I'm busy."

"No you're not! You're free after one today, I know you are, and it's," he glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's past one!"

"Yeah, well I have plans, and I would have been done earlier if it wasn't for that pointless meeting this morning," he muttered under his breath.

"Hyung, we were trying to call you earlier because Lix regressed, why didn't you pick up?" Minho wasn't heard over Felix's whining.

"Hyungie, can't you stay? It's been so long." Felix pouted.

"I'll be back before you know it, okay? I promise." Chan held out his pinky, and was slightly shocked when Felix turned away.

"No."

"No?"

"No, I'm always waiting but you never come, you're always busy. I'm begging you, just one day with you, right now, please stay? I'm not asking for much."

Oh boy. Seungmin heard the shift in his voice, forgoing his regressed speech habits on the verge of pulling out of headspace. He bit his lip and glanced over to Minho, who was whispering something to Hyunjin before placing him on his feet, then Jisung was taking him to the other side of the dorm.

The next words carelessly slipped out of Chan's mouth, whispered yet loud and painful to Felix. "I don't have time for this."

Chan bent down to level with him. "Lissy, I promise I'll be with you as soon as-"

"You don't have time for me?" Minho and Seungmin shared the same worried expression as they caught the moment when Felix's face fell.

"Go."

"Felix I didn't mean-"

"Go, hyung, you already found your bag." He walked around Chan numbly, holding the door open. "Go on. I'll be waiting for you to come back, as always."

Chan sighed, and left. Heavy silence followed.

"Uh, guys, I know this is a really bad time to leave but..." Jeongin stood timidly in the hall, Hyunjin peeking out from behind him.

"It's okay Innie, you'll be late for your lesson if you don't. Wouldn't want you to get scolded by the teacher now." Felix forced a smile when Jeongin kissed Hyunjin, Minho and him in that order before putting on his shoes.

"Bye bye Inin." Hyunjin ducked back into his room.

"What was that for?" Minho screeched, rubbing his cheek where Jeongin had pecked him.

"You're doing the thing you do with your thumb." He gave Felix one last look, then headed out. Felix pressed his ear against the door after closing it, knowing fully well that Chan hadn't left - his footsteps didn't echo down the hall.

"What thing with my thumb?" Seungmin shushed Minho as Felix squeezed his eyes shut and sank to the floor.

"He just told Innie he's really frustrated, first his phone died, he forgot his extra speakers, something about a meeting that wasted everyone's time and," he made a sound in the back of his throat that Seungmin would describe as a pitiful puppy whine.

"_Now Felix is being difficult and clingy_, of course I'm clingy! I haven't had any time to- I didn't show it for over a month but sure, call me clingy. And I'm being difficult? Like I'm in his way?"

Minho would have stepped in if not for Seungmin's hand on his arm, with a fierce look that said 'let him ride this out'. They could only imagine the whirlwind of emotions Felix was going through, especially because he basically _shoved_ himself back into big space.

"Being good won't feel good if nothing happens, Lix, let it all out."

Felix bit his lip, nodding at Seungmin's words. Fresh tears ran down his cheeks, a result of being raw from before. "Look at me, just a little crybaby who can't stay without... I can't believe I was gonna..."

"Gonna what, Lix?" Minho asked softly.

"Call him appa."

His face crumpled in a mixture of longing and sadness. "Appa, appa stay! Appa! F'owa miss appa! Appa 'tay wi' F'owa, no go, no go p'ease, 'm good, pwomise, jus' come back!" He wailed, flailing his arms. Tears and snot ran down his face freely.

Minho rushed over and scooped him into his arms, moving to the couch. "No baby, the door isn't a good place to sit. I've got you, sunshine."

Seungmin took a seat beside them, unsure of what to do in fear of causing more distress. Felix was already sobbing hysterically, curled up in Minho's hold like it was the only safe place he had.

"I'm going to bring him some things." Minho nodded, and off Seungmin went.

Pausing at the door to his own room, he steadied himself and sighed. "Focus, Seungmin. You want to be a caregiver, you know how to be a caregiver. You can do this."

Jisung was helping Hyunjin get ready to leave, telling him something about not worrying. Seungmin chose not to intrude, instead going over to the next room to gather Felix's comfort items. The bathroom faucet ran again, and he waited until he was sure Felix's meltdown was over. He returned to Minho rocking Felix gently.

"Feel better, love?" He smiled as Felix looked up and hummed, gaze turning to Seungmin's full hands.

First he gave Felix his starry pacifier; the little eagerly opened his mouth and made a happy noise as he sucked on it. He then attached a pacifier clip and handed him his stuffed bunny.

"How young do you think he is?"

"Babyspace? I put him in a diaper just in case." Minho shrugged.

"This is what happens when you repress your little side for too long." Seungmin scolded lightly, knowing Felix was too distracted to listen. It was concerning, how quickly he had dropped into headspace after pulling out of it.

"I co'ouw?" Felix mumbled after a few minutes.

"You wanna colour, lovie?"

He nodded, releasing his hold on Minho to slide to the ground. Seungmin brought him the box of crayons and a piece of paper, squinting at the light purple blob he was filling in. It looked like a flattened heart, but then Felix added a dark oval outline in the middle, and a handle.

"You drawing a paci, sunshine?" Minho carded his hair from his spot on the couch. He hummed an affirmation, adding small white spirals on the shield and boxes on the handle. If Seungmin focused he could make sense of the warped letters in each box, spelling out a word in English. Typical, Seungmin thought, Felix would be more comfortable with his mother tongue at this age.

"Hyung, let's try speaking in English for him." Minho nodded, letting Seungmin go first.

"_What's it say, little one_?"

Felix smiled shyly. "_F'owa_."

"_Flower_?" A lightbulb lit up in Minho's head. So that's what Felix was referring to himself as.

"_D'eam paci, wan_." He proudly handed the drawing to Seungmin.

"_For me? Thank you_."

"I was showing him a few custom pacifier stores the other day," Minho mentioned. "Maybe Chan hyung and I can get him one just like this."

He turned to Felix, pointing at the swirls. "_What are these_?"

"_Woses_!"

"He means _roses_." Jisung filled in, rounding the corner with Hyunjin. His gaze lingered on Felix's drawing for a while, Hyunjin running up to the little.

"Aww, he's so cute regressed like this. Can I hold him?" 

"Only if he lets you." Felix whined and wrapped himself around Minho's legs. "Sorry Hyunjin."

"Come on, I'm sure you'll get to hold him when we get back. Let's give him some space, he _is_ very little." Jisung tugged him to the door. "Bye guys, we're going."

"We'll be back!" It was quiet once they were gone, save for Felix's periodic pacifier sucking. He pushed the crayons to Seungmin who took the hint, putting them, and the drawing, away.

"Can we call you flower?" Minho blurted out abruptly. Felix didn't respond, reaching for him with his bunny in one fist. "You want to come up?"

He lifted Felix off the floor, deciding against placing him on the couch when he whined and refused to let go. Felix pointed in the direction of the rooms.

"Wanna go that way?" Seungmin followed the pair, curious. They ended up in front of Felix's pile of storybooks, the little eagerly moving in Minho's arms to grab one of them.

"You little wriggly worm, you're gonna fall if you keep doing that." Minho readjusted his grip.

"Let me do that, baby boy." Seungmin took the book before Felix could topple the stack. A piece of paper fell to the floor as he flipped the cover.

"A note?" He smoothed it out, moving to the bed.

Minho joined him, concentrating on the words. He could understand the gist of it, but a translation would be nice.

"It's a list of his favourite nicknames, hyung, because the book's about loving your name. Aww, it has haengbokie and sunshine, they make him really happy, and love makes him feel warm and fuzzy. Ah, here it is."

He ran a finger under the words for Minho to see.

"Flower, makes me feel safe and very, very little. Only to be used in soft situations, such as when babying me or snuggling me to sleep. Can't wait to be called that."

"Oh Lixie, did you want to show us this note?" Minho poked his cheek. "Sweet baby."

"Baby," Felix yawned, shuffling over to Seungmin's side. "To-towy?"

"Storytime it is." Seungmin opened the book and read it aloud. It was a good thing he was partly fluent in English, although he had to look up a word to figure out how pronounce it. By the end of it Felix had his eyes closed, leaning on Seungmin to stay upright.

"I wonder if he's younger than you in babyspace?" Seungmin wondered.

Minho's cheeks reddened at the thought of his own headspace. "Technically I'm a toddler. I'm not sure about this flower here." Felix crawled over to him with crescent eyes.

"He's younger all right, he's an _infant_," Seungmin cooed.

Felix nuzzled against Minho's stomach, babbling something indecipherable behind his pacifier. He raised an arm towards Seungmin, wiggling happily.

"Want me to come closer?" Seungmin scooched forward, letting out a small gasp as Felix caressed his cheek. "You are so precious, baby boy."

"Someone likes you," Minho said, amused.

"I hope I can take care of him properly. I'm not sure how good I am at this." Seungmin let Felix play with his hair.

Minho hummed. "I think you'll make a good caregiver."

Felix suddenly leaned forward, his paci bumping into Seungmin's cheek. He scrunched up his eyebrows with a pout. "I think he's trying to kiss you," Minho said. They watched Felix open his mouth to let the pacifier fall out before he gave Seungmin a messy kiss on the cheek.

Seungmin smiled widely, all doubts erased from his mind. "Thank you baby boy." Then softly, "Thank you too, Lee Know hyung."

Felix snuggled against Minho's chest, grabbing one of Seungmin's fingers with his free hand. His eyelids drooped shut, the meltdown from earlier taking it's toll on him.

The others melted at the sight.

Minho placed Felix's pacifier back in his mouth. "Rest well my lovely kitten, you deserve a break."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: lots of Seunglix :)


	16. You Can Take a Step Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Cats, this took a while. I wrote this entire chapter within the last 24 hours despite having the plot in my head for weeks. Some life stuff happened and I took some time off from age regression, and when I got comfortable with it again a few days ago I struggled to connect the scenes in this chapter.
> 
> Any thoughts are appreciated, but even if you don't comment (for whatever reason) I still love you <3

"Lix, Lixie, wake up baby." 

Felix had been shifted to Seungmin's lap so Minho could start heating up their food, and that was a half hour ago. Seungmin figured he should wake Felix up; eventually he would need to eat.

Felix whined, putting two fingers in his mouth before nestling in the crook of Seungmin's arm.

"Too sleepy? Is baby boy sleepy? Come on sunshine, you gotta eat." He bit his lip. Felix was probably feeling too young to do anything but snuggle, which worried him in the slightest.

On the bright side, he wouldn't have to worry too much about taking care of him apart from basic tasks. Eating, moving around, stuff like that was easier to manage compared to chasing an energetic little around the dorm to make sure they were safe, in Seungmin's opinion.

On the flip side though... babies were sensitive.

Felix began to cry, the reason apparent a few moments later when Seungmin felt something warm and wet trickle over his thigh. Wait... wasn't Felix in a diaper?

"Shh, shh baby it's okay." He rubbed Felix's back, shushing him when he went to mumble a small apology. Seungmin couldn't complain about it being a little gross knowing Felix was definitely embarrassed.

"No forcing yourself to be big and talk, okay? Little babies can't hold in their tinkles and that's nothing to be sorry about. I guess food will have to wait, huh."

He held Felix in a bridal carry and walked towards the larger bathroom, starting a warm bath while he changed into clean pants and wiped down his leg before undressing Felix.

"Ah. There's the problem." The diaper, while helpful for Minho in his toddler space, was too big on Felix, the leg holes leaving a gap between his skin and the absorbent padding. Seungmin tossed it in the trash and checked the water. Perfect.

Felix was no longer paying attention, chewing on two fingers and watching Seungmin with wide eyes.

"Alright, I see how it is. Quick bath, then om-nom-nom time."

As he placed Felix into the water, he could hear Minho's voice ring loudly. "Seungmin! Felix! Where'd you go?"

"In here hyung," he called out.

Minho hummed, poking into the doorway. "Lunch is ready. You want me to take over?"

"Uh... we could do it together?"

Minho bathed Felix, letting Seungmin dry him off while he unplugged the bathtub.

"I'm gonna put you in a pull-up first, okay?" He could guess the pull-ups made Felix feel safer and more at ease, especially since he had a tendency to stress over accidents. His assumption proved to be true when Felix went slack in his arms after the pull-up was snug against his bottom.

He rubbed lotion all over Felix before dressing him in sweatpants, a full sleeved t-shirt, fuzzy socks and a big warm hoodie. "We don't want our baby boy catching a cold now, do we?"

Felix gurgled in response, fiddling with his sweater paws.

"I'll dry his hair if you can get the plates and chopsticks out." The loving smile Minho directed at Felix was too soft for Seungmin to say no.

They took turns feeding him small bits of rice and cut up meat while eating their own meals. Seungmin even wiped Felix's mouth with a damp napkin afterwards.

"There, all done."

He moved to put the plates away, turning around when Felix started crying again.

"He won't let me leave," Minho said, gesturing to Felix clutching his hoodie.

"It's okay hyung, I'll do the dishes."

Minho grinned. "Thanks, love you."

"Wha-?"

"Lalalalala you heard nothing!" He headed to the rooms with Felix in his arms, leaving Seungmin to shake his head with a chuckle.

"Lee Know hyung, you really are a kid."

Minho sat down with Felix clinging to his side. "You wanna do anything, kitten?"

The little merely put his head on the older's shoulder, reaching for his stuffed bunny.

"You just want cuddles, don't you."

Felix hummed quietly. He watched Minho go through his phone before tossing it aside. "Nope, I can't let you sit like this for hours."

Seungmin walked in on them later, breaking into a wide grin and pausing behind the door to watch them in secret for just a little longer. He started recording on his phone to capture the scene for later.

Minho was poking Cinnamon in different places, mainly the paws and nose, making small beeping noises. Felix giggled every time, pouting when he pressed a paw and nothing happened.

"Go ahead, haengbokie. Do it again. Beep!"

Seungmin's heart fluttered. He suppressed a laugh of his own when Minho tapped Felix's nose with a 'boop', the little erupting in laughter.

"Da-da? Isn't this fun, bub?"

"Da!"

"Too cute," Seungmin muttered in a low voice.

Minho tilted his head, noticing the phone in Seungmin's hands. "Hey cupcake, smile for the camera!"

Felix blinked at Seungmin, giggling when he made a silly face. "Aw, this came out well."

He joined them on the bed and showed them his collection of pictures and videos from when the littles were in headspace. Felix gleefully babbled while Minho laughed, blushed or both, depending on whether he was in the frame or not.

The caregivers burst out laughing at one particular video clip from about a week ago, in which Hyunjin was feeding Minho despite the older not being in headspace.

_"I can feed myself, Jinnie."_

_"But I wanna!"_

_"No, don't, 'cuz it makes me feel tiny!"_

_"And what's wrong with that?" Hyunjin had his hands on his hips, raising his eyebrows and eyeing Minho with such a look that the older shrank in his seat, mumbling something about time and caregivers._

_"You win," he huffed, swallowing another bite before dancing cutely at the flavour._

"Hyunjin can't be intimidating to save his life, and yet I still slipped." Minho's cheeks flushed red.

"You can regress freely, you know. You don't have to wait for an okay from someone." Seungmin fixed Felix's hoodie, purposely taking his attention off Minho.

The older was quiet, rubbing his thumb against his fingers in a half-closed fist.

"And," Seungmin continued, "No one thinks it's weird that you go to Innie. You seem like you don't care what anyone thinks of you on the outside, you're unapologetically yourself in and out of headspace. For the record, in case you do care even a tiny bit, we don't think of the age difference. So he's a few years younger than you, and? We're all on the same level with each other, I think."

Minho's breath caught in his throat, at a loss for words. It was as if Seungmin had read his mind.

"You don't have to say anything, hyung." He swiped to the next set of photos.

Seungmin wasn't one to say 'I love you', but he never had to anyways. Minho heard it in his words, his voice, and felt it in the fingers that rubbed his thigh.

"You're perceptive. Planning your birthday present next year is going to be difficult." Minho smiled. His version of saying he cared.

"Don't get all mushy on me." Seungmin rolled his eyes, softening as he trailed down to Minho's hands. "Do you want to regr-"

Minho's phone rang, the sound making Felix whine.

"Oh shh, shh little one." Seungmin bounced Felix on his knee while Minho picked up.

"No, I'm fine," Minho whispered in response, heading to another room to talk.

After a bit of silence Felix whined into Seungmin's chest, taking his thumb out of his mouth.

"What is it?" The little clutched Seungmin's clothes in tiny fists, attempting to push them up. They wouldn't budge more than a few inches, so he whimpered and lightly bit into the front of Seungmin's sweater instead.

"Do you...?"

Felix kept nosing his chest and gnawing at his sweater even though his pacifier was in reach. Seungmin had a hunch where this was going. They were in Felix's bed, so Seungmin reached for the blanket and lay down with Felix, carefully prying the fabric from his mouth before lifting the edge of his shirt up.

"It's chilly today." He covered himself and Felix with the blanket, sighing into the warmth. Then he waited.

"Seungminnie! I need your phone, I'm going to send your chat with Felix to our group chat if that's alright."

"Wait hyung," Seungmin shouted, trying not to startle Felix. He was making some progress, the little hesitantly pressing his cheek against Seungmin's stomach, planning to crawl upwards from there.

Minho, who was too focused on his call to look up until he was in the middle of the room, froze in his tracks.

"Um, yeah. Take my phone."

"He's so _tiny_." Minho murmured, holding his phone away from his lips. He grabbed Seungmin's phone. "Tinier than I could ever trust myself to be."

He left them alone. Seungmin was strangely unfazed by the situation, nudging Felix. "Come on, Lee Know hyung's gone. It's okay lovie, I promise."

Was he supposed to be more apprehensive? After all, this was not a common thing. Anything that went through his head had probably gone through Felix's as well, though he was feeling much too young to think over it for long.

Felix's bashfulness wore off a minute later. He pushed himself higher to nuzzle Seungmin, then, when he felt safe and ready, leaned forward.

It wasn't as weird as Seungmin thought it would feel. If anything he felt more protective over Felix, his raw, vulnerable side surfacing. None of the others would dream of regressing so young or feel comfortable doing so, but Felix looked relaxed like this.

Screw societal norms. Seungmin would talk it out with him later, but he definitely wasn't backing out.

"You really do trust me, huh baby boy? If this is your safe place..."

Seungmin held him tenderly and pulled the blanket over them, shielding them from the outside world. It was just the two of them in their bubble, in the room, in the moment.

"I won't let anyone take it from you. I'm here. I'm always here."

It was funny how quickly time passed. By the time Minho had hung up it was late evening. Felix had pulled away from Seungmin and needed a change when Minho returned, the older cleaned him up quickly before placing him back with Seungmin.

"The others are coming soon. Did you- did he?" Minho vaguely gestured to them.

Seungmin nodded. "We had a moment."

Felix lifted his head to meet Seungmin's eyes. "Hi bab. Beeb. Button."

"Num-num."

"Num-num? You want food?" Minho cooed, pinching his cheek. "A little snacky for a little kitty."

Felix refused to let go of Seungmin, so he picked Felix up as best as he could, carrying him by the hip towards the kitchen and setting him down on the floor.

"Let's see." Seungmin frowned while peering into the open fridge. They didn't have any baby food, applesauce or yogurt. He did find some regular white milk, though. It would suffice.

"You're in luck love, we have milk."

He filled Felix's baby bottle and warmed it up while keeping an eye on Felix at all times. The freckled boy watched him with curious eyes, glancing at everything that seemed interesting. The bottle, the fridge, the beeping microwave.

Seungmin let him grab onto the bottle before carrying him back to the room, taking it from him to wipe it off once they were seated. Felix made grabby hands for the bottle with a mewl.

"Open up, baby boy." Felix latched on quickly, sucking steadily as Seungmin positioned him so he wouldn't choke, head leaning on Seungmin's arm.

"Isn't it yummy? Yummy for your tummy?" He murmured in English, kissing Felix's hair and staying completely to let him drink.

Minho watched from the side, jumping when the door to the dorm opened. He heard multiple voices.

Changbin found them first and squealed loudly. Seungmin sighed, whispering to Felix to keep him calm.

"Changbin, quiet. He's sensitive to loud noises and you're one of them," Minho stated.

"Sorry." He shuffled to the side so I.N and Hyunjin could have a better view from behind him.

"Where's Hannie and... our leader?" Seungmin whispered, not wanting Felix to hear.

"Studio. Well, Hannie hyung promised to be back within twenty minutes." Jeongin took a closer look at Felix and melted. "Hey there."

Changbin went next. Felix stared at him blankly, letting go of his now-empty bottle.

"It's your favourite hyung, Binnie-Binnie Changbinnie." He made kissy noises and left to put his things away, as did Jeongin.

Hyunjin remained in the room, watching from afar with a pout. "He's in babyspace."

"Something on your mind?" Seungmin glanced at him when he didn't move to leave or come closer.

"M' worried for him." Hyunjin bit into his sleeve.

"Oh honey, come here." Minho hugged him. "Is Jinnie feeling small because of Lix?"

"Lixie's sad," he mumbled. "Jus' want him to be okay."

So the events of this morning didn't go over his head.

"He'll be okay. Why don't you try holding him? I know you like holding babies."

Seungmin carefully moved Felix into Hyunjin's lap, the latter of which teared up when Felix smiled at him. Hyunjin didn't dare speak, simply closing his eyes and hugging Felix.

Jisung showed up earlier than expected, first tiptoeing to his room to change and wash up before seeing the others. "Hey guys."

To everyone's surprise Felix reached for him, babbling through fresh tears. Hyunjin struggled to hold him still.

"Aigo, aigo what's wrong?" Jisung picked Felix up, walking around instead of sitting down. Felix rested his chin on Jisung's shoulder, mumbling something similar to 'squirrel hyung'.

"Is my happy cat a little kitty right now? A teeny tiny kitty cat? You want some love from your Hannie hyung?"

Felix sniffed. "So-sowwy."

"Why why why- oh yeah." The texts. "Don't be sorry sunshine, I didn't even know you were sad. I'm not mad, I was never mad. I love you so much." He kissed the top of Felix's head.

"I love you too, Hyun, just 'cause." He patted himself on the back for making Hyunjin smile again.

Dinner went relatively smoothly until someone mentioned Chan's name. Minho had to pull Felix away as he bawled, abandoning the unfinished half of his own dinner. Thankfully, Felix was already done eating.

"Baby boy?" Seungmin cooed when he entered his room. Felix's eyelids were drooping and he sucked his pacifier slowly over Minho's shoulder.

"Here, let me take him hyung, go finish dinner."

Minho smiled gratefully, maneuvering Felix into Seungmin's arms. "Don't worry, I changed him and brushed his teeth."

Seungmin was accustomed to Felix's weight by now, easily walking around the empty room to lull him to sleep.

"Mama." Felix mumbled, not noticing that Seungmin stopped walking.

"Mama," he whispered again, gripping Seungmin tighter.

The caregiver recovered quickly. "Yes flower?"

Felix yawned softly, turning to face him. "'Quiwwel?"

Han wanted to hug Felix to sleep, a habit he'd started recently.

"When you're asleep, okay?" Felix hummed in agreement. "Sleep well our baby..."

Seungmin sang the same lullaby his mother used to, rocking Felix slowly. He was asleep in minutes, and true to his word Seungmin put him down beside Jisung.

"You alright?" Jisung asked, wrapping his arms around Felix.

Seungmin took a deep breath, nodding. "Tomorrow's going to be a hard day. Night Sung."

He flicked the lights off.


	17. Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Conflict resolution! Aka the talk everyone's been waiting for.
> 
> (Also, that one scene in Minho's cooking vlive where Hyunjin petted Jisung's head? Yeah major uwu I had to put that here.)

Felix woke up feeling well rested for once. The first thing he noticed as he sat up was he was hugging Han's stuffed pig. He pressed his cheek against the plush fabric, wrapping himself up in the blanket that lay at his feet. The second thing he noticed was that he was sitting in a soaked pull-up, which crinkled too loudly for his own comfort in the still silence of the room.

"Good morning, sunshine."

The third thing he noticed was Jisung was sitting by the foot of the bed, leaning his head against the wall.

"I got up a while ago to make pancakes with Hyunjin." He frowned when Felix pushed himself further away, squeezing into the corner of the wall to put as much distance between himself and Han as possible.

"Did... did you eat?" Felix whispered.

"Just taste-tested the first pancake. I'll eat in a bit." Jisung closed his eyes and hummed. It was enough for Felix to relax, scratching at one area of the bedsheet to focus.

"Hey Hannie? I didn't... yesterday... did Minho hyung and Seungmin seem okay? With me?"

"Yeah. They didn't say what exactly went down after we left but they seemed pretty fond of you."

"I was really little."

Jisung leaned over to kiss the side of Felix's head.

"Yeah, but that wasn't a problem. Did it help you?" Felix nodded. "Good."

"I'm going to wash up." Felix slid out of bed, handing Han his stuffie before waddling out the door.

The pair walked to the kitchen after Felix returned. The dorm was suspiciously quiet - Felix had expected to hear at least three different voices talking at the same time when he woke up, but all that met his ears was the soft padding of his socked feet on the floor. That was, until he saw everyone sitting in the living room. Even Chan, who looked as if he'd just returned from the studio, still in yesterday's outfit. The members were exchanging looks and hushed words, turning to face Felix when he filled a cup with water and gulped it down.

"Hannie?" He squeaked, meeting eyes with his September twin. On instinct he reached up to touch the side of his neck, feeling his pulse rate heighten. Jisung reached for his free hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"It's alright, we're not holding an intervention about you or anything. Everyone decided to sit down and talk today. You want to grab something to eat first?" He spoke softly, without urgency.

Felix took a deep breath, dropped his hand and shook his head. "I'm not that hungry. Let's just get this over with."

Jisung smiled and tugged him to the floor, a ways ahead of the others so that all eight of them could see each other.

Minho cleared his throat first. "So, let me get straight to the point. We're here to talk freely with each other, about anything we want to get off our chests."

Felix could already feel guilt eating at him, even though he knew he had done nothing wrong. Well, apart from repressing his headspace for so long. The situation was too familiar, the same as when Chan would sit them all down to resolve an argument.

"I'll go first." Seungmin raised his hand. "Uh, Lix, I'm sorry I showed our texts to everyone. It didn't occur to me until I woke up that you might want those to be private."

"It's alright, they needed to know eventually." Felix shrugged. "I want you to know whatever happened yesterday, I... wasn't using you to replace anyone. I wanted you around, and I hope I didn't ruin your first day as a caregiver."

"Lix," Minho nearly interrupted them, but Seungmin held a hand up to stop him.

"Lix," Seungmin repeated, "It makes me so happy to know you trusted me enough to see you in such a vulnerable state. I knew if I felt uncomfortable I could have backed out at any moment, handed you off to Lee Know hyung and called it a day, but I wanted to be there for you, for it all."

Felix mulled over his words, nodding.

"I mean it, awkward parts and all. I have no regrets, and I want to do it all over again. Honestly." Seungmin smiled sheepishly.

Before Felix could react, Seungmin faced Chan with an entirely new expression, with more disappointment. "If I were Lix I'd be giving you the cold shoulder for a week, hyung. You know how I am with my temper. You, you didn't see him hyung. He was so small, so hurt." Heavy concern laced Seungmin's words, even though he was scolding their leader.

"I'm right here, you know," Felix mumbled. He never liked telling people they had hurt him, because he never wantrd to hurt _them_.

The look Seungmin shot his way seemed to say _I don't care if he didn't mean what he said or did, he still hurt you and damnit you're going to be selfish for once and have him make it up to you or so help me I will be at his throat_. Heh. If a picture was worth a thousand words, Seungmin's facial expressions were worth an essay.

"Why Chan hyung, why'd you leave right when Lix hyung needed you most?" Jeongin was worried and frustrated at the same time on Felix's behalf.

Chan averted his eyes for a moment, flinching when he met Minho's gaze. The dancer had an unreadable expression, observing the leader.

"Hyung, when's the last time you took a break?" Minho asked, getting his answer when Chan bit his lip and turned away from him in the slightest. "I know why he left."

"You _do_?" Changbin was incredulous.

Minho hummed, turning to face Chan directly. "Hyung, you have caregiver instincts for all of us, _excluding yourself_. Why hyung, why don't you come to us like we go to you when we're having a hard time? You might have fooled everyone in this room, especially yourself, but you're not fooling me. Not one bit."

He moved closer, taking Chan's hands in his. "Hyung," he spoke gently this time, with less conviction. "You keep pretending you're not restless when you are."

It dawned on the others where Minho was going with this.

"You were in one of those working moods, weren't you?"

Chan didn't deny it - wouldn't. It was true.

"It's been a hard few weeks, right? You took it upon yourself to rearrange everything, fix everything, fix _us_, sacrificing your time so that we could be okay. I get that hyung, I really do." With a sigh, he continued. "I would have regressed yesterday, but I held off because I was more willing to be there for Yongbok-ah. Just like you'd rather help us through a hard time before helping yourself."

He glanced towards Jeongin, just barely, then went back to Chan. "But hyung, I know when to take care of myself, or at least reach out to someone. I'm going to regress today, because I need it. So why can't you come to us when you don't know how to stop working, when taking a break makes you feel nervous and anxious to the point where you start shaking? You could have channeled all that energy into staying here and taking care of us, and Felix, instead of burying yourself in work."

Chan looked up into Minho's earthy eyes. "I should have. It wasn't healthy of me to do that, and I'm sorry for unintentionally hurting anyone because of it."

Minho shook his head. "Apologize to Lix first. He's the one who got hurt in all of this, even though no one meant for it to happen."

Felix's arms tensed around Jisung as he felt the familiar burn of tears in his throat. He didn't want to cry, not after how much he'd cried the day before. He wouldn't swallow it down, though, he was okay with crying. The problem was he felt like slipping again, and didn't know if his tears would send him back into babyspace.

"Hey Felix." Chan slid over to where Felix was on the floor, still hugging Jisung. "I am so, so sorry I left. And for not noticing you'd been shoving your little behaviours aside in order to seem... good. You're always good, you're an absolute angel in and out of headspace, and I'm so sorry I made you doubt that. I never meant to ignore you but I did. I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you, I... can you forgive me?"

"I..." Felix blinked, letting the tears roll off his eyelashes. "Hyungie... hyungie love Lissy bu' hyungie fowgot he loved Lissy."

Chan seemed to be on the verge of tears too. "Hyungie's been a bit stupid, huh."

Felix pouted. "Not stupid. Don't say that, that's mean. Hyung... hyungie silly, 'cuz hyungie fowgot. Silly Chwissy. Lissy love hyungie, bu'..."

"But what, love?"

"Lissy dif-difficuwt?" He hiccuped, more tears squeezing past his eyes.

"Oh baby." Chan's heart broke, and rightfully so, because he did in fact remember uttering those very words the previous day. He took a moment to explain himself. "I didn't mean that. You know I didn't mean that, right? I was having a bad day and I took it out on you. You weren't being clingy or difficult, it was difficult for me to walk away because you were small, but at the same time I was too caught up with work to actually plant my feet and stay."

Felix sniffed. "Felt bad."

"I'm sorry, Lix. I never meant to say that and hurt you but I did. That wasn't right. I'll never do that again. " Chan made a resolve to never let his frustration get the best of him.

"Promise?" Felix was dipping in and out of headspace, trying to find the right mindset to handle the situation he was in. No one tried to talk him down or make him stay big, for which he was grateful.

"Promise." Chan locked pinkies with him, then extended his arms. Felix dried his eyes, unwrapping himself from Jisung to hug Chan in silent forgiveness. The leader knew it wouldn't be this easy. Felix would need some time to heal from his mistakes, if what Minho had told him about Felix having a meltdown at the mention of his name meant anything. But he was willing to wait and make it up to Felix, no matter how long it took.

"What happened yesterday after I left? I missed a lot." Jeongin asked.

Seungmin spoke up. "I'll tell you."

Chan moved with Felix to his original spot beside Seungmin to listen, the vocalist going on about how he and Minho had comforted Felix, let him colour and read him a book. When Seungmin mentioned the bath, conveniently leaving out the embarrassing details, Felix felt his cheeks heat up. Not only was having a daytime accident bad enough, but his frame was too small for the diapers they had. Then Seungmin was telling the others about lunch and watching videos, getting sidetracked to recall some cute instances of the littles.

Felix was growing more nervous by the second, since Seungmin was nearing the one thing he was trying to bury in the back of his mind. He had a fuzzy memory of the previous day's events, but that one incident stuck out like a sore thumb. Before he knew it, he was clamping a hand to Seungmin's mouth.

"Minnie, don't talk 'bout da suckies," he blurted out and froze, turning beet red at the words that left his own lips. "I- I mean- you know what? Tell them. I just did. I- I can't do this anymore."

He ran to the other side of the room, but Jisung was quick to grasp his hand to prevent him from running away and locking himself in a bedroom, alone. It was too early in the day for that, Felix hadn't even eaten breakfast yet. The freckled boy ducked into Jisung's chest in defeat and straddled him, muttering, "Take me far, far away please."

He refused to remove his forehead from Jisung's soft hoodie or open his eyes, burying further into the smell of pancakes and faint floral-scented soap from where Jisung had dried his hands, the cloth still cool and slightly damp. He tuned out the world, only able to sense Jisung carrying him somewhere. He heard Jisung kick a door shut and sit down with him, finally lifting his head when Jisung played with his hair and kissed his cheek.

Seungmin and Hyunjin were on the floor with the pair too, but Jisung had his back turned to them for now.

"You know, Seungmin didn't elaborate. All he said next was he fed you a bottle and we came home."

"Thank you Minnie," Felix whispered. "I'm just really really embarrassed about what I did... or said. I'm not used to being so little, and I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

"You won't, but it's okay if you're shy about it." Seungmin reached over Jisung's shoulder to ruffle his hair. "Anyways, new topic. So I woke up and knocked heads with Hyunjin because we were both sleeping on the couch, right? I was waiting for Chan hyung to come home and Hyunjin kept me company. So we wake up and there Han is, clattering a frying pan on the stove because he wanted to make pancakes."

Felix nodded, shifting in Jisung's lap to see the others properly. Jisung swiveled around to face them.

"Yeah." Hyunjin chuckled. "And then I brushed my teeth so I could help, and Ji was failing to flip a pancake. It would have burned to a crisp if I didn't take over."

"It was sticking to the pan!"

Seungmin snickered. "Yeah, you were so wowed by Hyunjin you called him mom and he petted your hair. _Wah, eomma, Hyunjin eomma!_ I don't get you two." He mimicked Jisung's expression.

Felix giggled, tapping Seungmin's shoulder to mouth 'mama' when no one was looking. Seungmin grinned, blowing him a discreet kiss.

"We just take care of each other." Hyunjin said confidently, plopping down between Seungmin and the September twins to wrap his arms around all of them in true Hyunjin fashion. "He takes care of me when I'm feeling little and I look over him when he wants to be treated like he's little."

"Hyunjin..." Jisung whined, sporting a shy smile.

"What? You were talking to Minho hyung about it yesterday."

"I never said I wanted to be treated like a little, I just like childish things."

Hyunjin squished Jisung's cheeks, inadventently cuddling Felix between them in the process. Seungmin scooted over to complete the cuddle session, the four of them sitting together peacefully.

"00 liner cuddles," Felix giggled. "Can we please have pancakes? M' hungwy."

The three others shared a look, and Hyunjin and Seungmin left to retrieve their breakfast while Jisung counted Felix's freckles aloud to entertain him.

"You know we love you just the way you are, right Lix?"

Felix hummed. "Might be baby again latew."

"Whatever makes you happy, love."

They could hear Jeongin yelling at Hyunjin and Seungmin in the distance.

"You better not be getting any crumbs on my bed, hyungs!"

"Innie, we're eating on the floor!"

Felix giggled. "They silly."

"The silliest."


	18. "You're my baby boy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, but this should conclude the arc with Felix that's been going on for a while :) everything should be back to normal in the next chapter... unless...? :3

"You're in a biting mood."

Felix was lightly biting at Jisung's arms, abandoning the pacifier that dangled from his sweater. Jisung cooed, kissing his hair. Seungmin had left after breakfast to help Chan prepare something while Hyunjin went to find Minho, with the plan to regress. It had been a while since the three littles had been in headspace together.

"You're extra little, aren't you baby?" Felix hid his face in Jisung's shoulder.

"Don't be shy, it's okay. Here, I'll walk around with you." He took a minute to balance Felix on his hip before touring the dorm. Felix's room was empty, but they could hear squeals comimg from the next bedroom. They headed there next.

Jisung smiled brightly, stifling a laugh at the cute scene unfolding in front of them. Seungmin was busy arranging some pillows and blankets on the floor in the corner of the room, while Chan and Changbin held either end of a blanket to form a makeshift hammock - with Hyunjin in it. They swung it from side to side, the little laughing and grinning widely.

"Don't let me fall!" He squealed.

Minho bounced on his toes beside Changbin, sucking his sparkly pink pacifier. He seemed to be enjoying the game as much as Hyunjin. "Me next, me next!"

"Knock knock, can we come in?" Jisung couldn't knock on the door, so Felix rapped his knuckles on the wood for him, watching everything with wide eyes and a small smile.

Minho gasped, running over. "Lixie! Missed you." He held up a finger and cheered when Felix grabbed it.

"Look, look he's got me." He turned around to see Hyunjin being set down. Chan decided to go up to Felix and ruffle his hair, much to Minho's dismay.

"But hyung," he whined, "It's my turn!"

"I'll swing you, Min. The nest is done anyways." Seungmin took Chan's place. Minho scampered onto the blanket and was lifted off the floor.

"Hey bub, wanna come to me?" Chan tried to coax Felix out of Han's arms. He hesitated, but let go of him to hold onto Chan.

Jisung kissed Felix's cheek lovingly before heading to the blanket nest, Hyunjin following him. "What's all this?"

"We made a little corner, it's comfy," Seungmin said simply. "We had to borrow a few seats from the sofa to make the walls, and Min over here has his blanket on there somewhere."

"I helped!" Minho exclaimed.

"You sure did, you and Jinnie put the pillows down so neatly." Changbin praised them.

"Ap- hyungie, down-down." Chan frowned, setting Felix down. He watched as the younger took wobbly steps towards Changbin and sat down, babbling.

Seungmin's eyes darted from Chan to Felix, not missing the way Felix mouthed 'mama' to him.

"Give him time, hyung."

Chan sighed. "I know."

Soon Minho and Hyunjin got bored of the hammock game, and after a minute of plotting they dragged Jisung to another room. Changbin asked Chan if they could work on something in his room, leaving Seungmin and Felix alone.

"Hi baby boy." Seungmin lifted him off the floor.

Felix relaxed in his arms. "Hi hi mama."

Instead of his normal headspace voice he spoke in a lower register, closer to his natural tone of voice. He repeated himself in a higher pitch. "Hi mama."

Seungmin wondered which was more comfortable for him, making a mental note to ask him about it later.

"Why don't you call me mama in front of the others? Is it our little secret?" He asked sweetly.

Felix hummed as he thought, popping his pacifier into his mouth. "Dunno if you li'e bein' mama. Feel safe an' comfy an' cawed fo' wif you, bu' what 'bout you?"

"Oh baby, I love being your mama. I love taking care of you, it makes me feel super duper happy." Seungmin nosed his cheek.

"Even da suckies?" He whispered.

"Yes, especially that. It's not weird or gross to me."

"Bu' yo' my age an' a guy, an' has been one day." Felix pouted.

"Even so, I still like it. Whenever you want to do it you can come to me. It's... nice." Seungmin's ears turned scarlet.

"Okie." Felix rubbed his cheek with Seungmin's. "If yo' not comfy, tell me, pwomise?"

"I promise. Thank you for looking out for me."

Seungmin squeezed him tight for a moment. "I don't really have any experience with changing kiddos, so I might need practice with that," he added.

"Jus' li'e Min hyung, he din' know how li'e how Jeonginnie hyung or hyungie know. Is okie mama, you leawn too."

"Speaking of that, don't you need some extra protection?" Felix whined in protest.

"No no, no diapeys."

"I meant pull-ups, love. I know using them in the daytime isn't the same as nighttime, and I know you're a little embarrassed about yesterday, but I just want what's best for you. I'll make sure everything fits properly, alright?" Felix nodded.

"My sweet baby boy." Seungmin made sure to grab Felix's bunny on the way to the bathroom for extra support.

"Can you tell me something Lix? Would you like to have diapers if we found them in your size?"

Felix shook his head. "Too thick, dun like."

"Okay, thank you." Seungmin popped open a bottle of baby oil, the scent sending Felix into a fuzzier headspace. The little's eyes fluttered shut as he inhaled, and Seungmin grinned. "Cute."

"Mama. Mama mama mama." Felix babbled, giggling.

"That's right, I'm your mama. And you," he kissed Felix's stomach, "You're my baby boy."

"Look at me!"

Hyunjin and Minho were playing dress-up in their caregivers' room, and Hyunjin was currently dressed in one of Jisung's nice button down shirts and dress pants.

Minho laughed, clutching Jisung's stuffed pig. "You look like Hannie!"

Jisung was amused, keeping an eye on Hyunjin while rummaging through his belongings. Jeongin sat by Minho's side on a bed.

Hyunjin straightened up and mimicked Jisung as best as he could. "Hello everyone, I'm Han and this is my handsome face."

Jisung tackled him from the side while the others laughed. "That's my line!"

"The resemblance is uncanny, hyung." Jeongin said, chuckling.

Hyunjin changed back into his winter clothes as Jisung found what he was looking for. "My crown!"

"A tiara?" Minho tilted his head. It was a gift from a fansign, silver with fake jewels for decoration. Jisung nodded, putting it on and adjusting it.

"I'm a princess," he stated, picking Hyunjin to be his royal advisor so they could organize the clothes that were strewn everywhere. Minho pressed his chin into the stuffed pig, staring at the crown.

"You okay Min-Min?" Jeongin lowered his head to Minho's level. The latter nodded, whispering as if to tell a secret.

"Thinkin' 'bout sum'n."

"About what?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"Can I be a p'incess too?"

A hint of fear was in Minho's eyes. He curled into himself, squeezing the stuffie for comfort.

"Of course angel, you can be whatever you want." Jeongin rubbed his back.

Minho suddenly stood up, patting the pig before grabbing Jeongin's hand. "Bye piggy. Gotta show Innie a thing." He pulled Jeongin to his room and reached far into his closet, grabbing his pacifier and some folded clothes, one pink and one white.

"You wanna change clothes?"

The little nodded, sucking his soother faster as he spread out the clothes. The white one turned out to be a snap onesie with pink unicorns and rainbows covering it. He was shy to unfold the second article of clothing, turning around to hold it up to his body.

"If I weaw this with that..." he didn't finish, turning to face his caregiver. The next few seconds passed slowly as Jeongin looked him up and down. He braced himself for any negativity when he saw Jeongin's eyes widen for a split-second, the look replaced by a smile. Nothing but soft words came his way.

"You'd look beautiful, angel. Different, but so beautiful."

Jeongin's heart fell when Minho started crying, his pacifier falling out of his mouth. "No no Min baby it's okay, don't cry. You must have been so nervous to show me, my brave little one. I'm sorry you feel so worried about it, but I love you all the same."

He pulled him into a warm embrace, shushing him. "Here, let dada see it properly."

Minho handed the pink cloth over and wiped his eyes. "So soft and pretty just like you," Jeongin murmured, fingers trailing over the folds. He held it up to Minho and nodded.

"If you try the onesie on now won't you feel cold? Your little leggies won't be covered." Minho hadn't thought of that.

"Maybe some other day?" He glanced at the door with a sniff.

"I won't make you show anyone anything, okay?" Jeongin kissed him. "Now, I bet you're hungry, right princess? It's time for lunch."

The nickname slipped out unintentionally. Minho dropped his pacifier in surprise after picking it up. "Angel, dada, I'm angel." He pouted, folded everything, and placed them behind his other clothing piles.

"Yes, you are. Why don't you help set the table with the hyungs while I wash your paci?" Minho nodded, mumbling a small thanks as he left.

Jeongin sighed. "Well this is new. Guys don't wear... but he wants to, so why does this feel so awkward? What do I tell him, oh hey Minho my parents raised me to avoid things that aren't boyish so haha gotta pretend I'm okay with this until I am?"

He didn't know Minho was eavesdropping just out of view, masking his dejected expression as he walked away. "Still love you dada," he mumbled to himself, "But I'm not your princess yet."

Lunch went as well as it could with three littles eating. Jeongin carried a sleepy Minho away afterwards, gazing at him fondly.

"I'm surprised they're compatible." Changbin swallowed.

"I wonder why?" Chan pondered, shifting his attention to Jisung when he tapped the table. They waited for him to finish chewing.

"Minho hyung's always been the youngest in the groups he was in growing up, plus he's an only child. Everyone knows he acts more like a dongsaeng. Meanwhile I.N had to mature at a young age and he prepared to be the oldest when he was in the junior division. Older mentality, younger mentality." He clasped his hands together.

Hyunjin and Felix were on either side of Seungmin in the blanket nest, snuggled close for nap time.

"Hey Minnie, we never said sorry." Hyunjin's eyes were open.

"Hmm?"

"For leaving you out. We're sorry. I know Minho would say sorry too if he wasn't sleeping."

Seungmin smiled. "Thank you. You're here now and that's all that matters."

"We love you." Hyunjin giggled when Felix patted his face, wanting to feel his way around everything.

"Wuv 'ou." Felix mumbled around his pacifier. He blindly felt for Seungmin's hand and held it.

"Love you too. Now go to sleep before you get cranky. Tired cranky babies can't stay awake long enough for cookies after dinner."

"Fine."

Once both of the littles were resting Seungmin slipped away to watch some TV, but first he checked on the others to see what they were up to. Chan and Changbin were reminiscing predebut stories in the rapper's room. Han was chatting with Jeongin, pausing to kiss Minho's pacifier and lull him back to sleep when he stirred. Seungmin disturbed no one, taking his place on the couch and grabbing his phone.

He flipped to a random channel he liked and lowered the volume, pressing the phone to his ear. "Pick up, pick up pick up pick up-"

_"Hello?"_

Seungmin leaned back with a big smile. "Hi noona. No, nothing's wrong, I just miss you guys. How are you?"

He had a long conversation with his family, suddenly thankful for everything they had done for him.


	19. Milestones, Setbacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I feel like I could've done better with this chapter but idk I hope you guys enjoy this anyways :3

Over the next few days Felix had been taking it slow with Chan, eventually moving on from cuddling for short amounts of time to sleeping in the same bed. Felix was often found curled up in the bunk above Minho's, not that anyone was complaining.

One particular night Felix had tossed and turned in his sleep, prompting Chan to hug him. He couldn't sleep through the disturbance and sat up, breathless, his eyes opening enough to squint.

"You okay?" Chan whispered, rubbing his back.

Felix hummed, taking a minute to breathe before leaning back into Chan's warmth. "Bad dream."

"Aw, it's okay. I'll keep you safe."

They snuggled for a while, Felix once again drifting into a slumber. "Ni' ni' appa."

It took all of Chan's strength to stay still instead of shooting up in surprise. "Night haengbokie."

He fell back asleep with a smile. And maybe a few tears on his pillow, but no one had to know that. Come morning and everyone in the dorm had heard from Chan that Felix had finally called him 'appa', at least twice, the younger slinking down in his seat during breakfast when he received a boatload of unwanted attention.

"Aw Lix, I'm sorry I keep repeating myself to everyone. It's just that I really really love that name." Chan's wide grin was impossible to resist, so Felix let him ruffle his hair.

"It's okay, I'm just getting shy."

Unfortunately for Felix, the attention wasn't going to stop there, though he wouldn't know it until the day was nearly done.

It was early evening when he had a chance to catch Seungmin alone. Unlike Chan, Seungmin didn't make any of his new regression habits public yet, namely the nursing and the fact that he called Seungmin mama, for which he was eternally grateful. He was indeed extremely shy about anything related to babyspace, not used to being so vulnerable out in the open.

"Hey Minnie."

Felix swung into the room, mumbling a small "yeet" as he passed one bunk bed to climb into Seungmin's. The latter made room for him, laughing when Felix spooned him from the back.

"Just do whatever you were doing," Felix said, resting his cheek on Seungmin's shoulder. He was reading something on his phone, scrolling through it without paying much attention.

"Any particular reason you came to me?"

"Just wanted to cuddle you."

Seungmin nodded. "Okay."

A while later it was getting too warm for the both of them. Seungmin slipped his sweater off, getting drowsier in his comfortable position. Being in Felix's arms was relaxing in itself. Sometime in the middle of watching an animation they fell asleep onto each other.

Then the door swung open.

Well, swung was putting it lightly. It sounded as if someone had kicked it open, the sound causing both of them to bolt upright.

It took about two seconds for Seungmin to register what was going on, and what was going to happen. The fog in his brain was blown away the moment he laid eyes on two figures standing in the doorway.

He vaguely recalled rousing when Felix rolled on top of him; he'd kissed his head and pushed his shirt up, inferring why Felix was mewling and grabbing his clothes. They were half-conscious and feeling intimate, so it didn't seem to be a problem.

Except they had forgotten that the door was unlocked.

Seungmin was still holding the edge of his shirt up, he noticed, yanking it down as Hyunjin and Jeongin stared at them. Felix stayed frozen, gripping a bunch of fabric from their shared blanket tightly.

Two seconds, Seungmin knew, after which _something_ would go down.

And he was right.

Jeongin was the first to react, widening his eyes and making a face that screamed uncomfortable. Hyunjin stayed frozen for another second and he met Seungmin's startled eyes.

"You let him- doesn't that feel gross Seungmin? What the-" he screeched.

Seungmin clamped his hands on Felix's ears to prevent his from hearing Hyunjin curse, unsure if he was in headspace or not since they weren't facing each other.

"Hyunjin, we like it," Seungmin snapped. "I like it."

It then occurred to Hyunjin that maybe Seungmin wasn't neutral about or against the matter.

"Out. Both of you, out. Don't you know when to walk away?" Felix marched to the door and closed it on them. He was definitely not in headspace.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, I should've locked the-"

"But we weren't planning on doing it anyways."

He neared Seungmin, softening at his expression. His lips were pressed into a thin straight line, and Felix swore he was shaking.

"I thought you'd be more upset because we got caught." Seungmin's words came out quieter than he wanted it to be.

"I'm freaking out, yeah, but if they're uncomfortable then it's their problem, I'm not making them watch it or do it. I don't ever want to push my regression needs away again."

They flinched at the yelling coming from outside, an "ew" thrown in somewhere amidst the multiple voices.

"Open the door, Lix. I want to hear what's going on." Seungmin climbed down to Hyunjin's bunk to listen.

"Are you sure?" Felix opened the door a crack, then sat by his side. Muffled voices became clearer.

"-not supposed to tell anyone!"

"It just came out, hyung, I can't wrap my head around it." A pause. "You don't seem all that surprised. No, don't tell me, you knew?"

"Of course I knew, I've known since day one, not that I thought to mention it to anyone. It's a secret for a reason, Innie."

"Wait, so Seungmin... nurses Lix?"

That wasn't Minho or Jeongin. Seungmin paled. That was Changbin's voice.

"Why are you defending them, hyung? Isn't it weird?" Jeongin again. "I mean maybe Lix hyung is too little to think but Seungmin hyung just..."

Something twisted inside Seungmin.

"Maybe it's weird to you, but not for me. It's also none of your business." Minho sounded cold.

"Hyung, we just happened to walk in, why are you getting mad?"

"Why am I- if I had known you would tell everyone in the dorm about something you're uncomfortable with, I never would have trusted you to know I wanted to wear a skirt! Did you tell anyone about that too, huh?"

Silence.

Minho sounded less frustrated and more dejected when he next spoke. "I can't believe you. Why can't you tell whoever is involved that you're uncomfortable with things you aren't used to, instead of blabbering to the rest of the world? It's not any better for the people whose secrets came out."

"I never told _you_ I was... hyung you heard me?" They heard footsteps getting louder as someone neared the bedroom. "Hyung, hyung wait, I didn't want to hurt you."

"You lied to me," Minho let out a mixture of a scoff and a sarcastic laugh. "I'd have been less hurt if you told me instead of _him_, we could've worked something out. Anyways, this isn't about me."

Seungmin and Felix were expecting him to slam the door behind him when he entered, but instead he closed it slowly and locked it before curling up in his own bed, across the pair. Felix glanced at him, then Seungmin.

To think things had been going well for once.

"Hey mama, aren't you cold?" He handed Seungmin his sweater, letting him tug it back over his head as Minho turned to face them, clutching his plush dinosaur to his chest.

"Seungmin's your mama?"

"Mhm." Felix gave Seungmin a hug before standing up and pulling him over to Minho's bed. "Don't you think hyung would look pretty in a skirt?"

Seungmin nodded. "Very. It's not weird. We've already crossed that border." Felix chuckled.

"You guys aren't gross for the nursing either. I'm... curious about it. From either end." Minho shrugged. "I wonder if I would like it."

"We could try something someday." Felix smiled.

Minho nodded, lowering his head. "I'm sorry, Innie just..." he trailed off.

"It's not your fault." Felix hugged Minho as the older bit his lip in an attempt to hold in his tears. "Okay? It's not your fault. Innie and Jinnie are just confused, I guess, and they ended up spilling to everyone because they didn't know what else to do. Not that it's a good thing, no, I might die of awkwardness if I have to see anyone else today."

Seungmin sighed. "It's not gonna be easy for us but hey, that's life."

Minho swallowed thickly. "He told Hyunjin," he whispered so softly they barely heard him. "Told him about my skirt. I dunno if he's okay with it."

His fingers tingled with nervous energy, and he used them to knead his stuffie.

With a hum Seungmin moved closer. "Do you want to be little?"

"Very little," Minho corrected, still tense in Felix's arms. "Can I?"

"Yes, you can. I know I'm not your main caregiver, but- aw, it's okay, it's okay kitten, I've got you." Seungmin murmured in the same tone he used with little Felix, as Minho immediately yanked him forward and buried his face in his sweater to cry. Felix rubbed his back while Seungmin held him the entire time, waiting for his cries to calm down.

"Do you want me to help you into something comfy?"

Minho hesitated, toying with Felix's hoodie string. "Chan-hyung?"

Seungmin smiled in understanding. "Okay, I'll get him."

Minho whined and clung to him, preventing him from standing up.

"I can go," Felix offered, unlocking the door and heading out. He returned shyly with the leader.

"Hyung," Minho let go of Seungmin to tug on Chan's sleeve, whispering into the leader's ear.

"I'll give you guys some privacy." Seungmin went to the other side of the room, turning his back on them and motioning for Felix to join him. He could hear Minho's curtain being pulled.

"Lix, you want to be little too?"

Felix leaned on his shoulder. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Seungmin began to pet his hair.

"I know you're upset too." Felix pouted, looking up with innocent puppy dog eyes. "Mama sad?"

"A little hurt." He was being honest. After all, knowing Jeongin and Hyunjin were disgusted with him was painful.

Felix patted his head awkwardly - he couldn't quite reach Seungmin's head from the position he was sitting in - and he laughed. "Come here, little one. Let's get you comfy too."

He put Felix in a pull-up, gave him his pacifier and carried him around as Chan finished up with Minho.

"He said if he needs a change to call me. I'd stay, but," he pointed behind himself towards the door, giving them a tired smile. "I'm doing damage control. Sorry everything's a mess."

"Does anyone else... care... about what we do?" Seungmin asked just as he was about to leave, scared of the answer that would come.

"So you heard," Chan sighed. "It's just Innie and Hyunjin, everyone else is okay with and supportive of it. Whatever makes you happy, right?"

He left, taking none of Seungmin's internal turmoil with him. Oh well. Seungmin could dwell on it later.

He sat down with Felix beside Minho and cooed as Minho reached for him, smiling softly behind a sparkly pink pacifier. "And how are we doing, mister? Good?"

The little giggled, nodding.

"Now what to do with two babies," Seungmin wondered aloud. "Snuggles and cartoons?"

Picking a show was the easy part. Minho eagerly tapped his phone to bring up a babyish cartoon, and hugged Felix with care. He even handed the younger his stuffed dino, though Seungmin had to wrestle it from Felix's mouth to keep him from biting it. Minho was very particular about his toys, and only stopped whining when Felix went back to his pacifier.

"Knock knock." Jisung poked his head in. "May I come in? I brought snackies and babas for the babies."

Felix hid behind Minho while the latter squealed.

"Thank goodness," Seungmin said in relief, "I was about to get them myself but I can't exactly leave them unattended. It's like you fell from the sky."

He took the bags of gummies and cookies from Jisung's hands and spread them out.

"Chan hyung told me he left you alone to take care of them and I thought you might need some help." Jisung grabbed Felix as he started crawling away. "No baby, you might fall off the bed."

Minho reached for the pack of cookies, about to rip it open (and possibly get crumbs everywhere) when Seungmin took it from him. "Let me do that, Min."

They managed to keep the bed mostly clean as the littles ate before grabbing their bottles. Minho fed himself his milk, busy watching his cartoon while Felix crawled into Seungmin's lap with such uncertainty in his eyes that Seungmin couldn't help but pepper his face with kisses.

"Baby boy, if you want me to feed you and cuddle you that's okay, please don't be shy because of what happened earlier." Seungmin eased the bottle into his mouth, caressing him for a few minutes.

"Hey Han, can you keep feeding him? I need a bathroom break."

"Sure." Jisung took over, cooing and murmuring sweet things as Seungmin slipped away.

He didn't run into anyone at all, returning as fast as he could just in case taking care of two littles was too much for Jisung. His worries were unnecessary, though, since Jisung was laying flat over the littles' laps to cuddle them by the time Seungmin opened the door.

Felix was patting Jisung's face, using his free hand to feed himself. Minho had finished his milk, wiggling happily and putting his arms around Jisung to return the cuddles.

"Are you stealing my baby boy from me?" Seungmin joked, taking a seat beside Felix.

"Mama," Felix babbled, reaching out to hug him instead. He rubbed his cheek with the caregiver's, as if to say he missed him.

Jisung looked excited. "That's _so_ adorable, oh gosh Seungmin I wish Hyunjin had a name for me."

Minho whimpered, ducking into Seungmin's chest. "Minnie."

Surprisingly, Felix pulled away and went to Jisung to finish his milk so Minho could have Seungmin all to himself. At first the second-youngest thought he'd start crying, and mentally prepared himself to soothe two littles because it would definitely set Felix off.

But Minho was still unpredictable to him. He shifted in Seungmin's loose hold, pressing the side of his face to his body until he found the spot he wanted to settle in and relaxed right away.

"You wanna sit up a bit more?"

Minho shushed him with an embarrassed smile, melting in his lap. "Feels nice."

"Oh?" Seungmin moved slightly, blinking when Minho pushed him back.

"No move. Can't hear."

The gears in Seungmin's head turned just as it clicked for Jisung. "He's listening to your heartbeat?"

"I guess so." Seungmin squeezed him tight. "Feel better, peanut?"

Minho responded with a small nod.

Jisung, bless his soul, brought them dinner so no one had to leave their comfort zone for the time being. They headed to different rooms to sleep afterwards. Felix climbed into Chan's bunk, Minho headed into Han and I.N's room, and Seungmin lay awake in his bed until he was sure the littles were deep in their slumber.

Most of the littles, at least. One glance at the bed below his and he knew Hyunjin was feigning sleep. "I know you're awake, idiot."

Seungmin managed to drag him to the smallest bedroom and paused at the door. Jisung had his arms around Minho, both of them using pacifiers. He gazed at the older with half-lidded eyes and a fond expression, bumping their pacifiers together before laying down. Minho murmured something in his sleep, looking much more relaxed than before.

When Han's quiet snores were audible Seungmin went up to Jeongin's bed and poked his foot without an ounce of remorse in his voice. "I know you're awake, Innie. Don't make me push you onto the floor."

Jeongin reluctantly sat up, letting Seungmin pull him and Hyunjin to the dining table.

"Do we have to do this now?" Jeongin whined. If Seungmin wasn't upset he would coo at the maknae's messy hair and tired eyes. He truly did look like the youngest.

"Yes, Jeongin, we're doing this now. If we don't then none of us are getting any sleep tonight and Chan hyung will have a headache come tomorrow when we're awkward because of a lack of communication. I'm not waiting days or weeks to have this conversation."

Seungmin sighed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Now talk to me. I have all night."


	20. Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you to all of my readers for supporting this fic :) I started writing this because I wanted to, without worrying too much about getting a large amount of interactions (which is why I don't cross-tag!), and I never thought this would grow so much.
> 
> This story took lots of turns that even I didn't foresee when I wrote the draft for chapter 1; some chapters I poured my heart and soul into while writing, others I wrote in the span of 2 days and posted without feeling completely satisfied with the final product (even the last chapter! I wanna rewrite it but at the same time I'd rather leave it as is).
> 
> Nevertheless, I keep moving forward, and wow you guys give me so much love in return that I lose any doubts I have. You make me feel like all my writing is good enough for you, and it makes me so happy I can't put it into words. So thank you for reading, interacting, just doing whatever you do <3 I hope you have a great day cats, I worked hard on this chapter ^._.^/

Silence. Utterly infuriating silence. To Seungmin at least, who had initiated the entire meeting while sacrificing his sleep, and for what? Two tight-lipped members who didn't know where to begin. He flicked on a dim light and waited for someone to say what was on their mind.

Jeongin seemed more annoyed if anything at the prospect of having to explain himself, but Hyunjin looked like he was simultaneously sad and frustrated. If Seungmin studied his face for a few seconds he could place a specific emotion.

Guilt.

It wasn't until Hyunjin lowered his head five minutes into the silence that he started talking.

"I didn't," he froze, clearing his throat, "I didn't know it was _Lee Know hyung_. Innie didn't- he left out who he was talking about. He just wanted advice on how to be less awkward about skirts because he's willing to get over his internalized norms. He told me someone wanted to wear skirts, but I didn't know who until earlier."

He inhaled shakily. "I'm sorry I reacted like that to you. It's new, and it surprised me, but now it... isn't that big of... a deal. Just 'cause it's... weird to me... doesn't mean I find you weird."

Seungmin nodded solemnly, noticing how he struggled to speak steadily. Jeongin seemed to be giving Hyunjin some space. He stared at one area of the table, tapping his fingers impatiently.

"Apology accepted Jinnie. It's okay if you're uncomfortable with it, I can't make you like it." Seungmin caught the maknae flinch from the corner of his eye. "But please, and this goes for both of you, don't treat us any differently."

He clenched his fist under the table, startling when Hyunjin whimpered, dropped his head in his hands, and started crying.

"I won't, I promise, please don't hate me, if you and Lix and hyung all hate me I won't have anyone to play with and I'll feel really bad. I'll be really good an' nice jus' don't leave me alone."

"We've been over this with Chan hyung," Jeongin sighed.

Oh.

So that's what Chan meant by damage control.

"Hey Jinnie, here, give me your hand." Seungmin reached across the table to hold hands with him, using soft words as he squeezed his fingers.

"Does that feel like I hate you? All you have to do is explain what you told me to them, that's all."

"They won't wanna see me," Hyunjin choked out.

Rubbing his fingers slowly, Seungmin thought of a solution. "You two wait right here, I'll be right back."

He went in and out of his room, returning with two sheets of paper and a pen. "Here, you can write them letters instead. I'm pretty sure they'll read them."

"Give me those," Jeongin muttered, reaching for the papers to scribble something on them. Seungmin took to comforting Hyunjin in the meantime with tissues and a hug.

Then Jeongin pushed the letters in front of Hyunjin, stood up abruptly and started moving in the direction of his room.

"Jeongin, I'm not done with you. You haven't said a word to me yet," Seungmin said sternly, telling Hyunjin to write his part before pulling away.

"What is there to talk about?" Jeongin scoffed. "I walked in on something I wasn't supposed to see and yeah, I told the others because Changbin hyung wanted to know why I looked like I saw a ghost. I'm uncomfortable with it for... reasons, but I won't stick around when you do it. That's it. Anything else?" He took a step away from the table but couldn't get any farther because Seungmin grabbed his hand.

"No apology, no explanation, nothing? Come on, you can do better than just telling me what happened. Give me your side of things, your feelings and thoughts. What makes you uncomfortable, the idea of one guy nursing another?"

Hyunjin whispered a small "yes, but I'll get over it" and continued writing, while Jeongin seemed reluctant to agree.

"Tell me honestly, Innie, do you think I'm disgusting for it? For liking it and doing it?" He wanted both of their answers. The thought kept gnawing on his insides and he knew he wouldn't get any sleep until he knew what they thought.

Jeongin shook his head, realizing how affected Seungmin was about the entire thing. The older looked tired, scared even. "Hyung, no, no I don't think you're disgusting. It's just, well, _I_ don't have to do it, right?"

"Why on Earth-"

"Minho hyung goes to babyspace. Rarely, but he does." He sighed. "What if he wants to...?"

It took a few moments for his words to sink in for Seungmin. No, neither of the men he loved were disgusted with him. Yes, they were willing to let it be despite their discomfort. And Jeongin, who was young and made mistakes when trying his best, feared losing even more of his little's trust.

"You can turn him down, you know. It's a two-way relationship, you accomodate his needs, and he, yours. You're not obligated to do everything if you're not okay with it. You're allowed to say no, I'm sure he'd understand." Before he could be interrupted he added, "Communication builds trust, so if you and him talk out both your boundaries it'll lead to something nice."

He gave the maknae a small smile, releasing his wrist. "You're still learning. He knows that."

"I hope so, and I'm sorry."

Seungmin reviewed both letters once Hyunjin was done writing his part, taking Felix's while Jeongin took Minho's so they could be placed somewhere that the intended recipients would find them.

"Goodnight, love you." Seungmin yawned, kissing both of them on the cheek before retreating to his room.

"Wh-"

"I think that's enough deep conversation for one night." Jeongin ruffled Hyunjin's hair and darted to his own room.

They felt much lighter crawling into their beds.

The next few days were awkward, to say the least. No grudges were being held, Felix made that clear when he pulled Jeongin and Hyunjin aside to play games one day. Minho was civil with them as well, although he kept his distance for two or so days until he could sort his feelings out.

He spent most of his time at the dorm in the blanket nest in his room (because no one had dismantled it), only paying attention when Chan was around. Seungmin noticed that, but thought nothing of it for the time being.

On the third day of doing this routine, Minho was surprised to see Hyunjin timidly approach him im the middle of the day.

"Hyung, can I borrow one of your puzzles?" The younger asked quietly. Minho nodded, shifting his attention back to his phone. He eventually looked up when Hyunjin stayed standing in front of him after retrieving the puzzle box.

"What is it?"

Hyunjin wouldn't meet his eyes. "Um, you're not mad at me, are you?"

"No, Jin-jin, I'm not."

"You haven't been around much, so I was scared."

Minho frowned. "I'm sorry, I've just had a lot on my mind lately. Come here, why don't we solve that together?"

He gestured for Hyunjin to join him, to which the younger happily obliged with a cheer. As he dumped the pieces out and got distracted scrutinizing the picture on the box, Minho shoved his pink and yellow blanket to the back. He didn't need to have his comfort items every minute of the day, he reasoned, knowing full well why he spent a few hours each day wallowing in the mess of blankets.

When it had been a full ten days and Minho still hadn't regressed, Seungmin began to worry. Not that Felix's behaviour was any less concerning, avoiding Seungmin like the plague in front of the others after the morning following the _incident_, but at least he had regressed twice since then with Chan (and Chan alone) to watch him behind a locked door. Plus, he and Chan had their nightly cuddles.

It was late in the day when Seungmin finished his schedule and went off in search for Minho, finding him in a dance studio. Upon entering it was apparent that he had been there for a few hours, so this was outside of normal scheduled lessons.

"Seungmin," Minho panted breathlessly, running to the other end of the room to pause the music, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, but it would sound more like hyung, why are you burying yourself in dancing to stay longer hours at the company?"

The dancer groaned. "Shut up."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Seungmin held his hands up in defense. "I heard you talking in your sleep."

"I talk in my sleep nearly every night," Minho said matter-of-factly between sips of water. "What's your point?"

"Well, I think you were stress-talking instead of your normal gibberish."

Minho gave him a look that prompted him to go on.

"I wasn't eavesdropping but I was the only one awake when you were talking so, anyways, here's what you said."

Seungmin proceeded to do a fantastic imitation of Minho's drowsy one-sided conversation.

"Why're you laughing?" A pause. "I'm not a girl, quit it, no seriously... Know-know not pretty?"

He inserted a string of curses because that was clearly embedded in his mind, the way Minho muttered them in his slumber with such vigor that Seungmin doubted if he was even asleep.

"Then you were quiet for a while, but then you asked where we kept the scissors."

The redness in Minho's ears spread to his cheeks instantly. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "I couldn't remember what I dreamt about, but I think we can guess."

The great thing about Seungmin, Minho knew, was that even when everything was laid out in front of him, he wouldn't pry. So he was relieved when Seungmin chose a different route of conversation, nearing his bag and fiddling with the chains.

"You want me to take you to 3racha's studio? Chan hyung and Changbin hyung are there."

"Why would I want to-"

"Hyung. Just look at your reflection. Youre literally about to crash and I know you don't want to be around the younger members so... maybe the hyungs can help you out? You dont have to regress or anything, just talk it out. I hate seeing you like this. Pack your things." Seungmin handed him his bag. Minho knew better than to oppose him and gathered his belongings, quirking an eyebrow when he took his bag from the younger and saw plush green fabric.

"I'm hoping it's a comfort item for you, though I might be overstepping."

He shoved whatever he was holding into his bag and pulled out his stuffed dinosaur, hastily clutching it to his chest. He needed this, to melt into the toy and breathe. "You really care."

What he meant to say was 'thank you', but couldn't find the right words.

"Duh, hyung, of course I do." Seungmin shrugged.

"Yet you won't say I love you."

"None of us do, we're too awkward." Seungmin rolled his eyes, pulling him towards the elevator once he had locked up so they could head to the other studio.

"Hannie and I do. I love you." Minho leaned close to his face with a teasing smile. The elevator doors closed.

As the doors reopened Seungmin said, "I love you too," and darted out.

"Yah Kim Seungmin get back here!"

Minho chased him all the way into the studio. "Thanks," he mumbled, as the younger left him to have a chat with Chan and Changbin.

And he did. He told them everything he was feeling. How he kept questioning himself, his regression wants, if it was okay for him to have a skirt. He had concerns over not being a good enough hyung for the others, because he should be stepping up as the oldest to everyone but Chan. He even told them about wanting Jeongin to stay his caregiver, no matter how rocky that road was.

Seungmin's phone rang not a minute after leaving the hyungs to talk in private. He checked the called ID - Jisung.

"Hello?"

_"How soon can you or Chan hyung or Lee Know hyung get here?"_

Seungmin's heart dropped to his stomach at the next words he heard through the phone. "Felix _what_?"


	21. It's Okay, I Got You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I should do cliffhangers more often considering how many comments I got on the last chapter ;) just kidding. Shout out to JiminWreckedSugaBiased for the idea for this chapter!
> 
> Warnings: panicking, panic attack (not detailed, but proceed with caution anyways!), minor blood, crying

"Lix, can you meet me in your room? I'll be there after I brush my teeth."

Felix nodded as Seungmin passed him in the hall. The younger joined him in his room quickly, locking the door behind him.

"I know you're avoiding me. We're not even that busy, and we were fine until a few days ago when you started, I don't know, flinching whenever I came near you. I know you're relaxing by baking and gaming and stuff but even then we don't hang out. Chan hyung told me you regressed alone with him twice this week, why didn't you tell me? I could have kept you some company."

Felix hadn't said anything yet, silently watching Seungmin crumple and smooth out the edge of his sweater while speaking. "Minnie, whenever I'm around you, I, they," he sighed.

"Yes?"

"You make me feel tiny, so tiny that I can't suppress it if I want to, but everyone keeps looking our way when we interact."

Seungmin frowned down at the bed. "Lix, I thought you weren't gonna rep-"

"Repress, I know, I don't mean to." He chewed on his lip for a moment. "It's like they try to picture things about us, their eyes are on us, it makes me so uncomfortable I want to leave. I guess I ended up distancing myself from you because of that. I'm sorry. I can't stand it, it makes me feel like I'm weird."

His chin was tilted upwards and then he was looking into Seungmin's eyes. "But it's normal."

Felix raised an eyebrow.

"It's _our_ normal, so if our normal doesn't meet theirs of course they'll question it. But they don't have a say in what we do. Okay? All that matters is us." Seungmin rubbed his thumb along Felix's cheek, still holding his chin up.

"I'm sorry," Felix repeated. He closed his eyes, basking in the skinship for a while as his pinky finger found Seungmin's on the bed.

"Don't be." He rubbed his nose against Felix's, grinning. "So, I make you feel tiny?"

He laughed when he fell on his back from Felix pushing him away.

"Yes," Felix confessed, "I want to be in headspace around you and Chan hyung. I love being a baby, you make me feel... baby, but I- I can't because everyone knows. I want to... you know."

"I won't make you do anything." Seungmin's outstretched arms welcomed him to lay down with him, he hugged him tightly.

"I know."

Seungmin knew Felix wanted more. It was swimming in his eyes, presumably buzzing at his fingertips, the urge to regress to babyspace right then and there to get the comfort he wanted. Seungmin wanted it too, but wouldn't dream of initiating anything unless Felix was comfortable with it.

"Do you like babyspace more than you like being four?" Felix nodded into his side.

"That's okay. You don't have to be shy with me, sunshine."

In the end Felix's self-consciousness won the battle. He fell asleep beside Seungmin, still nosing his side. The latter gave him one last look before tucking him in and closing the door.

"Did you guys-?" Changbin asked, getting his answer when the younger turned around, disappointment written all over his face. The members in the vicinity had their eyes on Seungmin. He exhaled hard, frustrated.

"See, this question right here is exactly why he's been avoiding me for days. It's none of your business. I can't get a second alone with him anymore because you guys keep staring. For the record, all he did was fall asleep."

In all honesty he had been oblivious to everyone's lingering stares up until then. He didn't blame Felix for wanting to escape, feeling his exact emotions as he closed his own bedroom door and climbed into bed.

"I miss my baby boy," he admitted to himself, sudden sympathy for the aforementioned member flooding through him - he wouldn't regress how he wanted to even when they were alone.

It would be a lie to say Seungmin didn't cry himself to sleep at that thought.

Jisung was watching a movie in the living room when Minho popped in to say goodbye for the day.

"You know where my pacifiers are." The older petted him like he would one of his cats.

"Hyung, I can't keep borrowing your ones." Jisung blushed.

Minho smiled at that. "If you find a design you like you won't have to. Have a nice day. Da-da?"

"Da-da." He copied Minho's cute actions, watching him leave.

Amidst all the tension in the dorm, the one person figuring his feelings out was Jisung. For the past week or so he had been exploring his age dreaming by having 'dreamy days', as he dubbed them.

They weren't much different from his normal days of lollygagging in bed watching videos, other than how he actively gave into whatever childish thing he wanted to do. Right now he was curled up on the sofa with his knees to his chest, watching My Neighbour Totoro while hugging his pig.

Seungmin was the final member to leave the dorm. He paused a ways from Jisung on the way out. "Hey Hannie, Felix just came back, right?"

Jisung nodded.

"Keep an eye on him for me, okay?" Seungmin's smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Sure."

The front door closed once again.

He didn't have to make an effort to look out for Felix when he felt two arms wrap around him from the back and the space behind him dipped down at the added weight. On instinct he smiled.

"Want to eat with me?" Felix asked.

"I'm starving."

They had lunch together in silence, neither of them saying much until their plates were emptied. Later, Felix stood up abruptly when Jisung ruffled his hair once they were seated on the floor.

"I'm gonna make brownies," he said, heading to the kitchen.

Jisung could have sworn his eyes were glassy and followed him. "I can help!"

He refused to leave Felix's side for the two hours they spent making the batter and baking the brownies, watching his subtle movements. Felix was obviously distracted, playing with the silicone oven mitts while Jisung sliced the brownies into small pieces.

"I'll just be a minute." Jisung darted down the hall.

Felix hummed, deciding to start on the dishes. He washed a few and grabbed the final bowl from the table. "I hope everyone likes the brownies," he mentioned aloud, thinking of how the others would react. They would probably compliment him and eat well, Seungmin might poke his cheek and offer him a bite-

_Seungmin. Seungmin, Seungmin, Seungmin._

The mere thought of him caught Felix off guard and the next thing he knew the bowl slipped through his fingers and he moved to grab it, only to stumble and fall. His hands flew out to catch himself, hitting his elbow on a cabinet in the process. He managed not to collide with the floor, although the bowl was in pieces around him, and he lost his balance again while trying to sit down in a less awkward position, causing his hand to slip from beneath him.

"Ow." He fell on his stomach, hissing because his palm started burning in pain. He pulled it away from a glass shard and sat up, whimpering as the cut turned red.

He knew he should be doing something. The bowl had shattered in such a way that he couldn't leave his spot or risk further injury, at the same time he needed to find their first aid kit.

For reasons he couldn't understand he'd woken up with the urge to cry all day, and his current situation on top of that made him want to be little. Giving in to both his wants, he let the tears flow freely. "I sowwy, m' sowwy."

He wasn't sure what he was apologizing for but he started crying harder, breathing deeper and faster, and through blurred vision he managed to see Jisung's figure come into view just as everything went black.

"I heard a crash from the bathroom is everything alright?" Jisung swung past the table and froze. Felix was sitting on the floor surrounded by bits of glass, his hand bleeding and face scrunched up as he cried. He was hyperventilating, swaying a bit as he mumbled a quiet apology, then slumped over.

"Lix? FELIX?" Jisung was no stranger to panic attacks, but the sight of Felix passing out worried him. He paused for a second to clear his thoughts. His next move was to grab the first-aid kit and their broom.

He surprised himself with how fast he cleared the glass and bandaged Felix's hand. His breathing had returned to normal. Good. Jisung swept up the remaining glass and tossed it out, making sure he missed no other pieces before carrying Felix to the sofa and laying him down.

He stayed kneeling by his side until he came to. "Han?"

Said member immediately cupped Felix's cheeks. "Don't ever scare me like that again. Do you hear me?"

Now he was the one crying, pulling Felix into a tight embrace.

"I'm-"

"You say you're sorry one more time and I won't let you leave this seat, I'll pin you down under me so you have no choice but to receive my love." He pulled away to wipe Felix's fresh tears with his thumbs, rubbing his own cheek into his shoulder. He couldn't care less about how his hoodie was getting soaked.

"I'd like that." Felix's words were watery. Jisung maneuvered them to lie down, still clinging to him. It tool a good few minutes for either of them to stop crying.

"I wanted to cry all day. I dunno why. And broke the bowl, an' I got scared an' felt worse an' was li'l."

Jisung made a sad noise. "Yongbokie haengbokie, have you wanted to be really little but wouldn't let yourself drop?"

Felix sniffed. "Kinda..."

"If an actual baby wanted to cry, snuggle, play and drink from a bottle, would you keep them from all that?"

"No, never."

"So why would you do that to yourself? You'll end up hurting yourself like this."

"Already have." Felix lifted his hand up, eyeing the gauze-wrapped cotton on his palm.

"I think you had too much in your head that you weren't getting out of your system. That's probably why you passed out." He tapped Felix's pouty lips. "I know you're extra shy this week, but... we're completely alone."

"Okie." Felix burrowed into him, snug against his chest. His thumb snaked towards his mouth but Jisung pulled it away gently.

"No, that's icky. Your hands aren't clean. Let's go get your paci." He sat up.

This time Felix burst into tears babbling incoherently, clenching his fists in Jisung's hoodie to prevent him from leaving. "I'm not going without you, silly goose. Up you go."

He carried Felix at the hip and retrieved his pacifier, taking the time to wash the little's face and wipe the item before placing it in his mouth and clipping it to his sweater. "Wah wah, Hannie hyung carried me away from the comfy living room, there, isn't that much better?"

Felix nodded slowly, babbling something vaguely similar to 'better'.

He placed Felix back down on the couch and sat beside him to cuddle him. The two of them faced the TV as Jisung put on a cartoon, singing the theme song and bouncing as it played. His hands stayed wrapped around Felix, a finger snaking under the younger's shirt to draw meaningless shapes on his skin.

He stopped tracing on Felix's back to grab his phone and dial the first person that came to mind. The little whined and wiggled in his lap, tapping his other hand.

"You want me to keep going?" He resumed trailing a finger over Felix's body, silently praying for Seungmin to pick up his call. He put it on speaker.

_"Hello?"_

"How soon can you or Chan hyung or Lee Know hyung get here?" Jisung asked. "Felix broke a bowl, panicked because some feelings surfaced, and fainted."

"_Felix_ what?" Seungmin sounded breathless, understandably so. _"Is he okay? Is he little is he hurt he must be so scared-"_

"Breathe, Minnie, he's fine and little, just cut his hand. I figured one of you should come home though, poor baby's been holding back for some time. Say hi to Seungmin," he cooed, letting Felix squeal into the phone.

_"Can you last another two hours? I have a vocals class."_

"Take your time." He hung up.

"No 'ad, 'ight?" Felix nervously sucked on his pacifier.

"Why would I be mad?"

Felix pointed at the kitchen floor.

"The kitchen... because you broke the bowl?"

"Was thinkin' o' mama, den it faww down. Wan'ed be li'l. My fauwt."

"You thought of Seungmin and felt little, so it fell? Oh Lix, it was an accident, not your fault at all." He kissed Felix's head, pouting when he stood up and let his pacifier hang by its clip. "Hey, I thought you were gonna be little."

"Jus' gotta... pull-up." He shuffled to the bathroom.

"I'm getting ice cream!" Jisung shouted, heading to the fridge. He had bought it that morning, and had enough to share with Felix.

He started snacking on the treat as Felix waddled back to him, using a second spoon to feed him. The little smacked his lips as he ate, eagerly bumping into the spoon. Melted ice cream covered his lips, the tip of his nose and even one area on his cheek. Jisung made sure to take a picture first and wipe the stickiness away with a damp cloth afterwards.

"You're a messy baby."

Felix giggled. Jisung let him have the last spoonful and threw the empty cup out. He had to take the spoons away from Felix so he wouldn't keep banging them on the table and smearing the remaining ice cream on the surface. Felix pouted.

"You wanna play, hmm? I think I have an idea."

He found a small plastic container and filled it halfway with dry cereal, making sure the container wasn't easy to reopen, knowing for a fact that his small fingers would pry the lid off out of curiosity. He closed it tightly and handed it to Felix, moving him to the living room.

"Pretty kitty, look what I made you." He shook the container, content with the sound it made. Felix gasped and took it from him, asking for permission with his eyes. Jisung nodded and laughed as he gleefully waved it around like a makeshift rattle. Which it technically was, according to Jisung.

He had Felix lying with his head on his chest, clutching his bunny in one hand and cuddling Jisung with the other when Seungmin entered the dorm. Jisung shushed him.

"He's calm," he mouthed, shaking his head when Seungmin gestured to ask if Felix was asleep. He motioned for the vocalist to wash up.

"Baby boy," Seungmin spoke with a lilt as he sat in the empty spot on the sofa by Jisung's feet a few minutes later.

Felix lifted his head to look at him, smiling from ear to ear. "Mith'd oo mama," he slurred around his pacifier.

Seungmin gently lifted him into his arms and pressed their foreheads together. "I missed you too, mama's little flower."

The nickname had a visible effect on the little. He snuggled into Seungmin's side, putting his head on his shoulder and nuzzling his neck.

"That tickles." Seungmin put his head on the little's and turned to Jisung. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good." He grinned, grabbing the container of cereal and shaking it rhythmically.

"What's that?" Seungmin asked.

Jisung giggled. "I made a rattle, rattle rattle," he sing-songed, making Seungmin laugh.

"You're creative."

Felix tugged Seungmin's sweater, whining quietly. He looked up with glassy eyes.

"What is it, flower?" Seungmin kissed his head, watching him take out his pacifier and gurgle. "You wanna have a private moment?"

He nodded. Seungmin stood up, adjusting his hold before glancing at Jisung.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine right here." Jisung waved him off, turning his attention back to the cartoon he had been watching.

"Okay. We'll be in my room."

Once Felix was out of his arms Seungmin made sure the door was closed and locked properly, not wanting the past to repeat itself. Felix crawled to the nest of blankets and pillows on the floor, gazing at his caregiver with wide puppy dog eyes from there.

"Who's the most precious baby? You are, love." Felix giggled as Seungmin made his way over to him and lay down. He rubbed their noses together playfully. "I missed you so so so much, I'm not letting you go."

With his arms wrapped around his little and misty eyes, everything seemed okay again. "I love you so much, no one and nothing can replace the special place you have in my heart."

He knew Felix wasn't listening to his cheesy words but he whispered loving things out loud anyways, cooing when Felix was finally comfortable on his bare chest under a blanket.

Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Which little should I focus more on in the next chapter? For a fic that started out because of Minho, I sure do write a lot of Felix :P I can't help it, he's so sweet *puppy eyes*


	22. Still Yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really let Felix shine through when I meant for this to be Minho-centric sighhhhhh see this is what happens when you try to write for someone who isn't your ult bias, I knew this was going to happen. 9-ish chapters focus on Lix oops 😶
> 
> Anywho, back to your (not quite scheduled) Minho content! And I'll get to more little Hyunjin as well starting next chapter ☺🙃
> 
> Thank you all for the wonderful comments 💙💙💙 especially the ones in little-speech! All you big cats, little kitties, and everyone in-between are super precious and I love you!

"Min-min? Is something wrong?" Jeongin asked. Minho was poking his head into the living room with a wobbly lip, glancing at the members who were present. Chan and Changbin were playing with Felix, Jeongin was on his phone and everyone else had gone out.

Minho nodded, bringing his hands forward from behind his back. His only headband was bent in half, two plastic pieces held together by the red fabric covering them.

"Was gonna put it on but it went snap, it broke. Fix it, hyung. Please? Please please I'll be really good."

Jeongin couldn't help but sigh sadly when Minho ran past him and into Chan's arms. It made sense, he was clumsy while Chan was known to fix things, but Jeongin wanted the little to come to him instead.

The leader sent Changbin a look before giving Minho his full attention. It was clear he was trying his hardest to hold back his tears. He lifted the accessory so Chan could have a better look at it.

"I'm sorry, but even if I stick it back together it'll break again. It'll be weak right here, see?" Chan slotted the broken halves together, pointing to the crack where they met.

"So it's broken forever an' ever?" Minho's voice was uncharacteristically low. He blinked and let a few silent tears slip out.

"We can buy you another one."

"But I don't want another one! I want this one!"

He started crying loud enough to make Felix whimper. Changbin tried to distract him with his foam blocks as Chan carried Minho to their room.

"It's okay, it's okay, we'll get you one just like it. You won't be able to tell the difference."

Minho looked up, his expression changing slightly. The childish glint in his eyes disappeared, though he was comfortable in Chan's embrace.

"This is my first little thing," he hiccuped, clutching his broken headband to his chest.

Chan rubbed his back. "Your very first little item?"

He hummed. "I feel silly, crying over a headband."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Minho pressed into Chan's chest until his sobs quieted down. "Lee Know, it's perfectly fine to feel sad about it, big or little. I know how attached you are to your regression gear, you put a lot of effort into gathering everything and hiding it all back when no one knew. I'll get you the exact same thing, hyung promises."

Minho smiled. "Okay."

In the hallway in front of their room stood Jeongin, wishing he was the one comforting Minho.

"Minho hyung wants you."

Jeongin whipped his head up, only to see Seungmin leading Han out the door. The hope that bubbled up inside him was crushed in an instant. Out of curiosity he followed after, finding Minho and Chan huddled behind a laptop. The dancer yanked Han down to sit with him, pointing at something on the screen and asking if it was cute.

"Hey I.N-ah! You want to get a late night snack later? I'm in the mood for chicken," Minho suggested.

"Uhh sure hyung." Jeongin mustered up a smile and walked away.

He was left with more mixed feelings as the day progressed, especially when he caught Seungmin and Minho making faces at each other. The pair rarely interacted unless necessary, so Jeongin had to assume the older was in headspace.

He took Minho up on his offer to eat together, speaking his mind after they were done. "Hyung, can we talk?"

"What's up?" Jeongin hated how hard it was to be blunt when Minho was smiling warmly at him.

"You keep confusing me. I'm not sure if you still want me as your caregiver. I know I messed up. I'm sorry and I swear I'll make it right but if you don't want me anymore just say so. The other hyungs are better at this than I am anyways." He didn't realize his eyes were squeezed shut until Minho gently knocked him on the head.

"I'm sorry Innie," the older began. "I didn't mean to make you doubt us. I haven't been avoiding you, believe me when I say that. You didn't really spill my secret to Hyunjin considering what you wrote in your letter, and I know you're working on being open-minded. I forgave you for all that ages ago."

"So why are you..."

"Not going to you?" He finished his sentence for him. "I've been thinking a lot. Remember when I said I liked being independent and didn't need a caregiver, but I ended up choosing you?"

Jeongin nodded.

"I keep asking myself, why you? Then I thought I'd see what happens if I stick to the others when I'm little, or even when I'm not."

The maknae had a question that hit too close to the bundle of nerves in the pit of his stomach. "Did you figure out an answer?"

"Yeah, I was going to tell you about it at the end of the week, but here we are. If I'm being honest, everyone does their best when it comes to making me feel comfortable. We all have different ways of doing things. Chan hyung treats me like his little brother anytime because I am. Han's always around me so I have no trouble being myself around him. The others are also great at keeping me in headspace. But," he paused.

Jeongin sat up, focused on his words. "Being a regressor is one part of me. I love being a hyung. Being older, intimidating, having some authority. I guess that's why I'm a carer too. I'm a hyung to all of you, and although everyone has their own ways of helping me when I'm little, they also like to tease me and act cute when I'm not."

"But-"

Minho interrupted him. "Don't get me wrong, we all tease each other like that! It's fun, sometimes funny, and we're all family. But I like how you treat me more than anyone else. You treat me like a hyung unless I want something different. You don't act cute with anyone, so it feels special when you do that with me."

He dropped eye contact, flushing red at his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

"Would you still feel the same if I'm not comfortable with something you want to do?" The whispered question lingered in the air.

"Yes, yes I would. It's only fair if I respect your boundaries too. I can't demand you to like something for me. Can I-?"

Minho proceeded to lie down with his head on Jeongin's lap. The younger reflexively leaned down and gave him a fond smile.

"See? You're good at this." He lifted his hand, grinning as Jeongin took it in his and wiggled it playfully.

"I'm not, but I'll try for you."

Minutes passed in comfortable silence, the pair shifting around and ending up tangled together.

"We haven't spent much time talking to each other about important things," Minho said.

"Yeah, Seungmin hyung said we should talk."

They spent a while discussing their likes, dislikes and boundaries. Jeongin found out how Minho liked feminine accessories, skirts, being serenaded, playing with his hair and listening to heartbeats. He disliked punishments or throwing tantrums, only liked being babied if he expressed the want for it beforehand, and was curious about nursing.

"Bottle or sippy cup?"

"Sippy."

"Favourite form of skinship?"

"Hugs!"

"The one comfort item you can't live without?"

"My blankie." Minho hid his face.

Jeongin cooed. "My baby loves his blankie."

"-mbarrassing. M' not always a baby," he mumbled into his sleeve.

"I know, I just like calling you that."

Minho discovered Jeongin wasn't comfortable with the idea of being on the receiving side of nursing, was okay with changing diapers but preferred letting someone else bathe the regressors and often feared not knowing how to calm down a distraught little. He also loved speaking in a gentle tone to the littles, caregiver nicknames made his heart flutter, and when in his carer headspace he needed to take care of someone or he'd feel down for the rest of the day.

"What about me calling you princess?"

Minho turned so he was facing away from Jeongin. "I dunno. I wan' it an' I don't."

Jeongin sighed. "It's because of me, isn't it angel?"

"Sorta?" The older pulled his knees up. "I wanna be a princess when I'm in the mood to wear a skirt. And uh, I've never actually worn it," he muttered, pouting at the end of his sentence.

"Not once?"

"Seeing if it fits doesn't count."

Then Minho had fingers stroking his hair.

"If you'll let me, I want to see you wear it someday. I was being honest when I said you'd look beautiful, even though I'm not completely used to it. I figured seeing you in it would change my mind."

The younger's words made him grin widely, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "Okay. You... can call me princess when you're a hundred percent okay with it."

"Glad that's sorted out. Do you know how much I miss taking care of you, pumpkin?"

Minho shook his head. Jeongin snaked an arm around him. "So much that when you're not little, but feeling down, I want to scoop you up and do this." He kissed the little's forehead multiple times and snuggled close.

"Do it," Minho murmured, "Ask me and then do whatever you want."

Jeongin continued to pet Minho and quietly sang to him, watching him get sleepier. "Thank you angel baby."

They were planning to return to their rooms, so they didn't notice when they fell asleep earlier than expected, enjoying each other's company.

"Hyunjin, Hyunjin hey wake up, come look at this." Seungmin shook their bedframe, the creaking noises waking up his sleeping roommate.

"How about no." Hyunjin tried to pull back his covers but Seungmin pulled him into a sitting position.

"Minnie I'm tired," he whined.

"Come on you big baby, you like heartwarming moments as much as I do." Seungmin dragged him to the living room without waiting for a response.

Hyunjin squealed. "Aw."

Jeongin and Minho were splayed out on a sofa, hair messy and mouths half-open, barely contained on the seats. Jeongin's soft snores and Minho's thumb sucking could be heard in the otherwise still room.

"I'm gonna prank them." Seungmin took a photo and shoved his phone into his pocket, creeping up behind the sofa.

"Good luck facing Lee Know hyung's wrath." Hyunjin watched his mischief from the entrance to the room.

Seungmin jumped up with a shout, smirking when Jeongin and Minho both reacted like startled cats and fell onto the carpeted floor.

"What the heck hyung?" Jeongin rubbed his face and arm.

"Kim Seungmin, you won't live 'till breakfast," Minho grumbled.

Seungmin snickered, dodging when Minho faked throwing a cushion at him.

"I just want to put it out there, none of this was my idea. You guys looked too cute to disturb." Hyunjin laughed and ran away with Seungmin as Minho lifted his head with a threatening snarl.

"Too cute to disturb?" Jeongin shook his head. "I feel like a mess, my neck aches."

"I think I drooled. Sorry." Minho wiped his mouth.

"Whatever."

They glanced at each other and laughed.

"Hyung you have sleep marks on you!"

"Oh yeah? You look like a chicken with that hair!" He lowered his head, using Jeongin as a pillow so he could stay lying down. "You sound nice in the morning, all melty like butter."

"Hyung, you're sleep-talking again."

"Am not, you're just shy."

Jeongin squirmed enough to free his arm from Minho's embrace so he could pat the older's head. "You're cuddly and tiny in the morning. There, now you're shy too."

Minho giggled.

From the edge of the hall Hyunjin pretended to gag. "Too much sugar for one morning."

"That's it, you two are dead meat." Minho chased after him and turned the corner.

"Rest in peace hyungs, cause of death Lee Know hyung." Jeongin flopped back onto the floor.

He checked on them once he felt he'd had enough rest, finding Minho tickling Seungmin on his bed. Hyunjin was gasping for air beside them, it seemed he had been Minho's first target.

"I sur- ha! I surrender! I'm sorry!" Seungmin's shrieks of laughter ceased as the dancer released him and skipped up to Jeongin to tap his shoulder.

"I know that look." When the older avoided eye contact and stayed quiet, Jeongin knew he was slipping into headspace. "Come on, let's get those teethies clean."

Minho took his hand. "Then we'll have lots and lots and lots of fun?"

"Anything you want."


	23. Cotton Candy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains: some very soft Minin fluff, sunflowers, princess vibes, and a small shy discovery :3

Jeongin had a habit of watching cartoons while eating ice cream after breakfast on days with no morning schedules. Typically he would do it at his parents' home in Busan. On this particular morning he found the dessert in the freezer, and despite the cold weather he was determined to relax.

He grabbed a bowl of mint chocolate ice cream and turned on the TV. A familiar cartoon came on. He shoved a spoonful of sweetness into his mouth.

"Innie can I sit?"

Minho put one foot behind the other, tilting his head with a short nervous laugh. It was endearing, the way he laughed when he became shy all of a sudden. Jeongin could only nod and pat the seat beside him, letting himself smile from ear to ear.

"Sure. Do you like this cartoon?"

He scrunched his nose. "Not really, there's too much action." The little sounded out fighting scenes and explosions, making relevant gestures with his hands.

Still, he stayed by Jeongin's side, eyeing his treat, then the screen ahead. The show was of no interest to him and he found his gaze lingering on Jeongin. The maknae was engrossed in what he was watching, not registering Minho's eyes on him. He was sitting cross-legged, his hair was slightly messy and a dot of ice cream coated his pouty lips. He looked soft, if the older had to choose one word to describe the scene. Not just because of his fuzzy outfit, but his carefree expression as well.

It was welcoming - to affection, he hoped. He inched towards Jeongin until he nearly brushed their arms together. Next he subtly leaned his head to lay on the other's shoulder.

"You want a bite?" Jeongin offered, turning in the slightest to meet his eyes.

He shook his head and Jeongin glanced back at the screen.

This was nice, intimate maybe. Minho felt warm wherever he made physical contact with the younger. He wanted more.

Of course he didn't ask. Saying it out loud would make it awkward and this was a moment he wanted to cherish. He simply scooted back and slid his head into Jeongin's lap, facing his chin.

Jeongin seemed unwilling to acknowledge the movement and Minho froze, worried that he had bothered his caregiver or worse, that Jeongin didn't care about it as much as he did. Would he care about Minho being clingier after their heartfelt conversation the previous night?

But then he set his empty bowl aside and gazed at Minho fondly, making all of those thoughts disappear. He too wanted the natural intimacy without any words getting in the way.

The thought made Minho giggle. Jeongin giggled too, leaning down the way he had last night. Except, he was much, much closer this time. Close enough to press his forehead to Minho's and close his eyes.

"Innie," Minho whispered, melting like the last spoonful of ice cream in the bowl. He closed eyes as well, basking in this middle ground between the frosty air and the comfort of their close proximity.

Even though Jeongin was bent over awkwardly, even though Minho didn't get a verbal answer, even though anyone could walk in and catch them like this, they wouldn't change a thing.

Jeongin pulled back seconds later, lacing their fingers together on Minho's stomach. Washing the bowl could wait. For now they could sit together and watch cartoons.

That was how they spent a solid half hour in undisturbed bliss.

"Hey Minho did you know sunflowers always face the sun?"

Jisung was playing with Minho's hair and watching some educational video about flower facts that was on his feed. Jeongin had left for the gym with Chan and Hyunjin, leaving Minho with the others.

Changbin was supposed to be in charge of watching over him, but as soon as Chan had left his _bedroom_ Felix admitted he was feeling floaty and pouted his way into being carried to the door on Chan's shoulders.

"Say bye-bye to Channie hyung, love."

"Bye-bye Chwissy!"

Changbin had wrapped his arms around him, whisking him away to their room. Since he was busy, and Seungmin was away at a scheduled class, that left Jisung.

"Sunflowers?" Minho glanced at the screen with curiosity.

"Here. The young flowers follow the sun for the whole day, they go from facing east to west. That's because the sun gives them energy to grow and live, they get super tall! The adult sunflowers stay facing the east all day and night though, because they're used to the sun coming up from that side. Isn't it cool?"

"Wow, I didn't know that!" Minho exclaimed, storing the information for future reference. "It's cool!"

He decided to accompany Han in his video-watching spree for a few hours, then they ordered in for lunch, sharing the food with the others.

"You're cute when you eat," said Changbin, poking Minho's cheek full of food. The older male blinked at him slowly, speaking once his mouth was empty.

"Cute? I'm eating."

"Min hyung pouts! Like this, see?" Felix pursed his lips and mimicked Minho's chewing. "You look li'l like that!"

"I am little like this," he mumbled to himself, dropping his gaze to his plate as Changbin tapped his lips with a finger, making small noises. He fanned himself with one hand as his ears began to burn.

"Let him eat, hyung." Jisung pointed at Changbin with a chopstick.

"I'm just playing."

"Appa said no playtime when it's food time." Felix tilted his head, and the two caregivers burst into laughter.

"He's right, I'll stop." Changbin patted Minho's head.

It was typical of Jisung to take a nap after lunch, and Felix was tired as well, so Minho was left with Changbin while the September twins curled up together in Jisung's bed.

"Binnie, tell me a story!"

"What kind of story?" Changbin pulled one of Minho's many jigsaw puzzles out and set it down, joining the little on his bed.

"Not one with dragons," Minho said distatefully, wrinkling his nose. "Channie hyung always does dragons and kingdoms when he makes one up."

"Too many dragons."

"Too many dragons," Minho affirmed.

"Okay, let silly Binnie try for you." Changbin told him a story about a cat that grew up in a meadow, chasing butterflies and watching the other wild animals before realizing its life was boring.

He made it up as he went along, incorporating Minho's ideas and answering his questions as well, until the cat ended up on a pirate ship surrounded by the sea and its new found family.

"Another one, another one!"

"Once upon a time," he began, "There was a sweet little boy on the moon..."

Minho decided that Changbin's stories were the best.

They were in the middle of solving the puzzle when Jeongin returned, a towel around his neck and his hair sticking to his forehead. Minho hadn't noticed he was back from outside, let alone hearing the shower turn on.

"Having fun?"

"Mhm, did you know Binnie tells the best stories?" Minho slotted a cardboard piece into place and looked up.

"I did not." Jeongin took Changbin's place as the rapper went to get some water.

A few minutes into helping Minho solve the puzzle he noticed the way the little gazed at him with a soft expression. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Minho grinned.

Jeongin was pretty sure Minho wanted something. He never openly stared at the maknae in headspace for too long without shying away.

"Thinking of something, angel? You keep looking my way."

"Cause I'm a sunflower."

"A sunflower?"

_Now_ he ducked his head in shyness, though he stole glance at the maknae right away.

"You're looking at me because you're a sunflower?"

He nodded, chuckling at the confused look on Jeongin's face.

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Hannie knows." Minho shuffled through the loose puzzle pieces, catching a glimpse of his caregiver leaving the room. The bright smile on his lips widened.

"Hyung, Minho keeps looking at me and he says you would know why." Jeongin entered his room knowing Han and Hyunjin were there in the other bed beside a napping Felix.

Han paused the cartoon they were watching and glanced up from his phone, bringing a whine out of Hyunjin. "Just a minute Hyunie okay? I.N, I'm going to need more context. Right now I'm hearing random words."

"He said he's being a sunflower, but I assumed that was typical weird Lee Know behaviour. He's staring at me in a really sweet way but it's so different than what he usually does." He rubbed his neck.

The fun fact about the flower from earlier popped into Jisung's head like an advertisement on a computer monitor. He relayed the information to Jeongin, smiling fondly afterwards. He pretended to tear up, or maybe he really was touched by Minho's small actions. Jeongin honestly couldn't tell.

He blinked. Then blinked again. "So if he's the sunflower... I'm the sun?"

"Yep."

"So I give him energy and life and happiness?"

"Sure, if you put it that way." With a nod Han turned back to the screen, picking up where he and Hyunjin had left off.

The maknae stepped outside the room, needing a minute to process it all. He knew he was Minho's primary caregiver, the older made it clear that he wouldn't have it any other way. Still, there was always a sliver of doubt in his mind, considering their dynamics outside of headspace. The thought of being a source of comfort for Minho made some sort of peaceful warmth flood through him.

"Innie! Where'd you go? Whatcha doing?" Turning his head he found Minho walking at a fast pace towards him, barrelling into his chest to hug him.

"Asking hyung what you meant. You're a sunflower."

Minho giggled against him, his heart fluttering.

"I'm a _tiny_ sunflower."

"Yes you are."

It was right then he knew he could take this one step further.

"Angel? May I dress you up in your pretty clothes?"

The moment of silence that Minho took to formulate a response was more nerve-wracking than performing on a new stage.

"Okay."

Jeongin released the breath he was holding and smiled.

Once Minho was in his white onesie he got Jisung to dress him up properly. Jeongin took no offense, knowing his little (_his_ little, the thought was more concrete than it had ever been) was more comfortable with him. Plus, Minho wanted to surprise him.

His back was turned to the pair, but he could still hear them. Hushed questions came from Jisung, something about clothes feeling too tight or too bunched up.

"There, look at you! You're so pretty!" Jeongin wished the words were coming from his mouth, but he was willing to be patient. Anything to get Minho's trust back.

There was a tug on his sleeve. "Innie, 'ou can 'ook now."

Jeongin slowly removed his hands from his eyes and spun around, unable to bite back a small gasp.

He wondered why he was so bothered by the whole situation in the first place, because all he could think was _he's adorable_.

Minho was clearly bashful, clasping his hands behind his back and wiggling his toes, sucking a pink pacifier with rhinestones on it. His hair was up in two small ponytails, with a large pink bow hairclip on one side. Jeongin had no idea where it was from, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Han had gone and bought some hair accessories following Minho's headband incident.

He was still in his onesie, except his legs were covered with white cotton tights that overlapped his matching knee-high socks. Good, at least he was warm in the late winter (or early spring?) weather.

Lastly, he laid eyes on Minho's skirt. It was pleated with a zipper hidden in a fold on the side, reaching about two inches above his knees. Paired with the other white clothing and the pacifier it completed the set, making Minho appear smaller and softer.

On the inside he vowed that someday, he would get to zip Minho up in his skirt.

"Angel baby, you look stunning. You just took the breath out of me." he murmured after what was a nerve-wracking few seconds of silence for the little. He knew he had permission for his next move, so he swallowed his nervousness and spat it out.

"I love it, princess." He spread his arms, smiling so hard his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Dada..." Minho faltered, sounding watery. He closed the gap between them and melted for the second time that day.

Jeongin squeezed him tight, pulling away to marvel at his outfit and compliment him. "Oh baby, you look like a piece of cotton candy! I could gobble you up in one bite."

Jisung took that as his cue to slip away, but he didn't have to, because Minho was being chased out of the room.

"Gobble gobble gobble!" Jeongin chanted.

Minho shrieked gleefully when he was caught in the maknae's arms.

"Happy, dada," he mumbled, wrapping his legs around the younger's waist so he could be carried.

"Me too baby. Dada loves his princess."

Minho hummed, resting his cheek on Jeongin's chest.

"P'incess."

"Should we go meet the others? Changbin hyung and the two little ones?"

He agreed, squealing. Meeting the others was more fun than daunting, especially since Felix oohed and aahed over the colours and Hyunjin felt the fabric between tender fingers, loving the texture. He was eager to hear what Chan and Seungmin had to say about his attire when they returned. The latter complimented him whereas Chan picked him up and nuzzled him.

"I'm so proud of you for being so comfy with us! You're a brave boy!" He gushed, placing him on his feet as he squirmed around, running back to Jeongin.

He might as well try one other thing out while he was still comfortable. After a whispered conversation and a green light from I.N he snuck into his room with Seungmin, locking the door behind them.

It was some time before either of them emerged. Minho immediately found his main caregiver, changing positions multiple times before settling in his lap. With one hand loosely gripping his pacifier handle and the other arm looped around the younger's shoulders he sighed.

"I didn't like it. I thought I would, but no." He shrugged.

"That's okay." Jeongin was getting better at skinship, caressing his cheek.

"I dunno, I want something that's not a paci." His lips tingled as Jeongin's fingertips brushed along them. He had the urge to part his lips for them, and he voiced this out loud.

"Here, I just washed my hands. Go on." Jeongin nudged his lip with a finger. It was similar to how Changbin kept bothering him at lunch, but this was also completely different.

Minho hesitantly mouthed at Jeongin's finger, latching on carefully so he wouldn't graze it with his teeth. This was new to the both of them, yet neither was apprehensive.

"I think we found you a compromise, angel," Jeongin remarked, noting how Minho relaxed while sucking his finger, the action soon becoming rhythmic.

Minho tapped his hand, eyes crinkling in delight. He traced a heart on the back of Jeongin's hand.

This would work.

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up next: some fun adventurous danceracha ft Changbin and Han, because why not


	24. Obstacle Course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while and I forgot what I wanted to do for it :/ thinking of starting a Hyunjin arc now,, hmm. Anyways, enjoy.

"Guys stop- hey stop you'll get hurt! Guys! Careful!"

Hyunjin's attempts to reason with the other two regressors were futile. They continued to batter each other with pillows, shielded from the headboard by Hyunjin's arms.

Felix giggled and squished Minho, a pillow in each hand. Then Minho flipped him over in one smooth motion, pinning him down with a smirk.

"Gotcha."

Hyunjin climbed on top of them and lay there. "You can't pillow fight so close to the edge of the bed."

"But it's fun," Felix whined, kicking his feet.

"Hitting your head won't be fun."

Minho stuck his tongue out. "This is the smallest room," he observed.

"It's the best room."

"Why's that, Jin-jin hyung?"

Minho and Hyunjin peered at him like it was an obvious fact, the former answering him. "Innie and Hannie stay here."

"Then I like the big room." Felix snaked his way out from under the pile and padded into the bedroom with two bunk beds, the others going after him.

"Why? It's my room." Hyunjin couldn't see the appeal.

Felix groaned, hopping impatiently. "Appa an' cat an' ma-uhhh Minnie all stay hewe."

Minho ruffled Felix's hair playfully. "Chan hyung and Seungmin will be back with Innie soon."

"I know," he huffed, "We got Binnie and Sungie hyungs though!"

"Hyung did say he was gonna surprise us, but that was," Hyunjin squinted at the alarm clock, "Twenty-ish minutes ago."

"It's been _forever_, what's Binnie doing in the living room anyways?" Minho took Felix and Hyunjin's hands in his and marched towards wherever the caregiver was.

"Is it a pillow fowt again? I woved the pillow fowt." Felix was already falling deeper into headspace at the memory.

"Lix, we have all our pillows with us," Hyunjin told him gently.

They collectively paused at the edge of the carpet, confused as to why the sofas were pushed together, two chairs were connected by a piece of string, a nearly finished puzzle was on the floor, and the four couch cushions were arranged in a neat formation.

Changbin and Jisung were at the other end of the floor placing a car and some lego duplo structures in a strategic way, in front of Minho's bucket and a small pile of duplo blocks.

"Oh good, you're just in time. We finished setting up." Changbin stood up first, smiling at the littles.

"Setting what up?" Hyunjin asked.

"An obstacle course!" Jisung was practically bouncing on the floor, excited to see how everything would play out.

Minho gasped, noticing the pieces of paper with arrows drawn on them. "Whoa."

Changbin loved building fun things to entertain the regressors, but this was new, full of adventure.

"Here, let me tell you how it works. You have to follow the arrows. Go over the sofas," he pointed to the furniture, "Then you go under the string here."

He demonstrated by crawling between the legs of the chairs. Felix watched him with curiosity as he moved towards the cushions.

"Next is the pillows! See how they're in a sort of diagonal pattern?"

"Like a checkerboard!" Hyunjin exclaimed.

"You have to cross them without ruining the formation. So tiptoe!"

The next parts of the course involved tossing three duplo blocks into Minho's toy bucket (not in a row, to make it easier), rolling a toy car between two lego bridges, and placing a single puzzle piece in its place.

"There are three pieces that haven't been put in, so the three of you have to do one each," Jisung explained, moving to the table.

"So that's why you borrowed my toys!" Minho ran up to his blocks and puzzle to take a closer look. He scurried back to the start of the course, waiting for the hyungs to finish.

"Thank you for them, angel. Here's the finish line, you have to touch the snacks on the table and you're done! There's a square of tape here to mark it." Jisung moved to the blocks, as did Changbin, so they could easily reset the games for the next members.

"Wules?" Felix tilted his head.

"What a good question!" Changbin blew him a kiss. "The rules are no cheating, no pushing or shoving, be careful, and have fun."

"When can we start?" Minho's eyes gleamed. He quickly scanned the obstacles once more before kneeling down. Hyunjin copied him, while Felix squirmed in the slightest.

"Jus' gimme a min." Felix scampered back to the rooms, returning with his pacifier clipped to his hoodie and a pull-up peeking out from under his waistband.

"Hi baby," Minho giggled, poking his cheek.

"Okay. On your mark," Changbin started. Everyone kept shuffling around to stand side-by-side.

"Get set..." Jisung shared a look with him, the both of them shouting simultaneously.

"Go!"

The three littles ran up to the sofas, Hyunjin being the first to hoist himself over the first armrest and stumble over the seats in a hurry. Minho followed close behind, giggling when his foot sank between two seats. He freed himself with minimal struggle and went forward, shrieking when he saw Hyunjin breezing through the pillows.

In contrast to the competitive five-year-old regressors, Felix clambered onto the seats and bounced lightly, taking his time to crawl around before carefully lowering himself to the floor.

"You're doing great!" Jisung gave them support as Changbin handed Minho and Hyunjin their blocks. Somehow Minho ended up ahead, tossing his third block into the bucket and passing the car game in one go.

"Hey wait up!"

It was amusing to watch Minho stand in wait of Hyunjin, each of them slotting a puzzle piece in place when Hyunjin had caught up.

They went hand in hand to the table, and Jisung declared a tie.

Meanwhile, Felix was preoccupied with patting one of the cushions on the floor after tiptoeing past them.

"Lixie come on, you can do it!" Hyunjin cheered.

He glanced up and grinned toothily, crawling to the blocks station. Since he was regressed so young, the others let him drop the blocks into the bucket as opposed to throwing them from a short distance.

They cheered as he poked the toy car and finished the puzzle, then Changbin carried him to the table.

"Let's go again!" Minho abandoned the package of cookies he was fiddling with and started the course again, Hyunjin shouting and running behind him.

"Race you!"

The game kept them occupied for an hour. Changbin carried Felix at the hip and walked him through the games when crawling was getting too tiring for him, which led to Hyunjin complaining about not being picked up.

"I want uppies too," he whined, yelling with glee as Jisung piggybacked him around the living room.

"You just love being up in the air, don't you?"

Hyunjin hummed, pointing to where they had to go.

Felix was easily distracted, batting the loose ends of the string tied to the chairs and pausing to poke the cushions. He spent the most time with the block toss, squealing each time he dropped a block into the bucket. The other littles cheered for him as well, making him smile widely.

"Blocks done!" He stated triumphantly, breaking into a laughing fit as Jisung and Changbin rained kisses on him.

He left with Jisung to use the bathroom, leaving the other three at the table where they were having a celebratory feast of snacks.

"Hyunie, want a cookie?"

"Yes please!"

Changbin considered the whole thing a success. "Did you have fun, kids?"

"Lots and lots and lots of fun! Thank you Binnie!" Minho beamed.

"I won a lot, but Min's good at blocks," Hyunjin commented.

They were sharing some cookies with Felix, and Jisung was heating up some milk for him, when the rest of the members returned to the dorm.

"Hi." Minho stuffed his cheeks.

"You're back!" Jisung took the bags of groceries from Chan and emptied them out onto the counter.

Seungmin and Jeongin crowded around the littles, asking them how their day went. They listened intently as Minho and Hyunjin animatedly told them about the pillow fight and the setup in the living room.

"Lixie? Is that milk yummy?" Chan pinched Felix's cheek after putting some of the groceries away.

"Nummy, appa." He let Chan carry him to the couch so they could be more comfortable. With his upper body propped up on Chan's chest he relaxed, sighing happily. His toes curled when Seungmin came his way, and he pulled away from his bottle to greet the caregiver.

"Mama! Did game wif hyungs!"

There was a brief silence, and Seungmin suddenly remembered that not everyone knew about his caregiver name.

"You did? It must have been fun."

He proceeded to ignore the ridiculously loud screeches and coos around him.

"An' put- mama, mama listen! Put blocks, did dem all myself." Felix reached for him with his free hand, the other clutching his milk.

"Wow, that's amazing haengbokie." Seungmin took his hand and played with his fingers.

"When did he, when did this- what?" Chan his eyebrows raised and mouth open in a partial smile. He seemed excited for the development.

Seungmin shrugged. "For a while now."

"Aw. You wanna take my place, mama?"

"Hyung!" He blushed.

At the table, Hyunjin tugged on Jisung's shirt. "Ji, do I hafta give you a name?"

"Only if you want to." Jisung patted his head.

Their conversations faded out as Minho followed Jeongin to his room.

"You need something, angel?"

"Nope. Just wanna see what you do."

"Me?" Jeongin put a few accessories away before lying down on his bed. "I'm gonna be on my phone, I'll probably bore you."

"Nuh-uh, you're never boring!"

Minho lay down beside him, staring at the device in his hands. He barely noticed when the maknae left the room, transfixed on the cartoon I.N put on for him. He only looked up when Jeongin closed the door, now dressed in softer clothes and sporting a smile.

He reclaimed his position in bed, laughing as Minho squirmed to slot himself in his arms.

"You want cuddles?"

Minho hummed.

He carded his hair absentmindedly, his arm resting below Minho's shoulders. His other hand was subtly offered to the little, fingers tapping his lips when he unintentionally made a sucking motion.

"If you want your paci I can get it for you."

Minho shook his head and wordlessly latched on, allowing himself to relax further. Running around and letting his boisterous side show was fun and all, but with Jeongin he felt he could unwind.

The video ended a couple of minutes later. Jeongin was about to ask Minho if he wanted to continue to the next episode when he noticed the older was nearly asleep. The phone was tossed aside as he inched closer, moving the hand Minho was occupied with into a less awkward position.

"Wan' nap," Minho slurred around his fingers, closing his eyes fully after Jeongin kissed his forehead.

"Take a nap, then. I'll wake you for dinner."

Was what Jeongin said, but hours later when Changbin came in with Hyunjin on his back he found the maknae passed out with Minho, only their figures and the backs of their heads visible to the others.

Changbin and Hyunjin shared a look before yelling. Jeongin woke up first, and was able to pry his fingers out of Minho's mouth without anyone noticing.

Minho blinked groggily, wrinkling his nose and covering his ears tightly. "Loud!"

He rolled over, effectively silencing the noisy members.

Jeongin gave them a look, as if to say _how dare you wake my baby?_

"It's dinnertime," Changbin grinned, trotting away with Hyunjin still clinging to his back.

"They didn't see anything, angel baby. No worries."

Minho pouted, pushing himself to sit up. "It doesn't matter."

He was already pulling out of headspace. Jeongin put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, well. Should we get back at them?"

Minho grinned. "Oh, _definitely_. But dinner first. And..."

He held Jeongin's hand while trailing off, the younger raising an eyebrow.

"I want to do the obstacle course on the living room with you. If they haven't deconstructed it, that is."

"Ah, hyung."

Jeongin leapt out of bed, pausing at the door.

"You gotta catch me first!"

He dashed out.

"Hey! No head starts!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One day I'm going to remake this entire fic with better pacing, plot, and writing in general, but today is not that day my cats .-. Stay safe and take care <3


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